Dragonball Movie Update! What is UP with this?

SSj_Rambo · Post by **SSj_Rambo** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:41 pm

This is the picture that gives me hope for Master Roshi. They've already blown giving him his true look of a beach hermit, but this shirt leads me to believe that they might properly display him as the "chick freak" that he is.

Pain · Post by **Pain** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:01 pm

SSj_Rambo wrote:This is the picture that gives me hope for Master Roshi. They've already blown giving him his true look of a beach hermit, but this shirt leads me to believe that they might properly display him as the "chick freak" that he is.

This movie is beginning to have a place in you guys' hearts, right? I knew it! It makes me feel like crying tears of joy to hear that.

Victator Supreme · Post by **Victator Supreme** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:04 pm

Xyex wrote:
Steve Gerber praised Howard the Duck.
And why would he not? Howard the Duck was awesome. <3

And no, I am not being sarcastic. Well, not entirely. I absolutely love the Howard the Duck movie. Perhaps not for the intended reasons, but love just the same.

When asked years later why he said "They gave me money." You want to set yourself up for a momental fall be my guest.
When a producer or director or writer ends up not liking the finished product they remove their name from the credits and/or replace it with a fake name. People who don't like something outright say so. Wether they worked on it or got paid for it or not. I'll translate that "they gave me money" answer of his. It's something like "Well, I thought it was really good. But most people seem to not agree with me so I'm going to pretend I don't like it either. That way people wont worry about my opinion when it comes to making other movies."

I mean, hell. Look at Hideo Kojima's pre-release comments about MGS4. He doesn't go "Oh, the game is the greatest thing ever!", nope, he comes right out and says he was disappointed in the final product because he wasn't able to create his vision.

Steve Gerber wrote the classic Howard the Duck comics. He had nothing to do with the film that was made. Marvel simply gave him money not to bash it in public.

Kendamu · Post by **Kendamu** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:28 pm

I don't like that there's a "grittier" feeling in the movie than in the series (according to Marsters). However, I saw that coming a mile away and got my nerd rage out about that awhile back.

Victator Supreme · Post by **Victator Supreme** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:32 pm

Marsters really gets Dragonball.

Pain · Post by **Pain** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:34 pm

Victator Supreme wrote:Marsters really gets Dragonball.

Yeah, he's really into this role. He's gonna do great. I just know it.

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:39 pm

Victator Supreme wrote:Marsters really gets Dragonball.

I've been thinking for a while now that Marsters will give the best performance in this movie.

SSj_Rambo · Post by **SSj_Rambo** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:48 pm

@ Marsters fans,

Here's a recently translated interview he did in Japan from Dragonball Le Film:

Edit: Oops...guess this one was posted on the last page, I didn't think so since it just got posted on the blog less than an hour ago.

Dragonball Le Film wrote:What is the difference between the original and the live-action movie ?

Definitely the story of this movie is different from the original. But it’s a necessary change because we need to condense the long story of the original for a movie. For example, some characters in the original don’t appear in the movie. And we try to give it a more gritty and graphic (realistic) feeling. Though there are differences between the two, I think it is all right if the core part of Dragonball remains. I let my son watch the anime’s Dragonball, DBZ and DBGT since he was eight years old. At first, I thought it was too violent, but I realized this is the best show for training to become a true man. True men need not to flaunt themselves. Their calm, gentle and modest but when it comes to the crunch they don’t hesitate to kill the enemy, and I think that’s what Goku is. Goku is a real man. I know my son received such a message and applied it to his own life. My son doesn’t use violence to others, but he isn’t afraid of his own anger. I think it’s an important thing.

How many hours does it take to apply the make-up?

It takes about four hours. Luckily, my make-up artist is very chatty, we have a lot of chat during the make up.

Please tell us the most remarkable scene in the movie, especially action scenes!

It is the last battle after all! I like playing the battle scene. When I worked for a TV show for seven years, every Friday I fought till sun rise, I felt I would never have such a good time again until now. In addition, I have never gotten terribly hurt (laugh).

Do you talk with other co-stars as well?

When I have a problem, I have a talk with Justin [Chatwin]. At first, we worried about the costumes. We thought it should reflect the spirit of the original, we persisted this thought to the producers. We didn’t want to make our characters beautiful and safe. I talked with Justin, and he agreed with me. So did the director.

What do you care about in acting for this movie?

That’s a good question. Speaking of Piccolo, one word comes into my mind, it’s “loneliness”. Piccolo is always floating in the air in the beautiful landscape, but he never even admires the landscape, he is only thinking or musing and staring at his feet. I think that is a characteristic of piccolo more than anything else. Maybe it must be a characteristic for revenge. He hates himself and blames the people who has trapped him. His desire to kill not only them but their family, furthermore to destroy the city and the planet they live and protect. To get revenge is everything to him. Everything.

How was shooting in Durango?

The desert of Durango is very cold at night (laugh). I was luckily wearing armor, but Goku was freezing at the beginning of shooting. The local people are very kind and get along with us. Besides they love to party very much! If I didn’t have work, I would be willing to join them. They are drinking and singing songs until 4:30 a.m. But I need to sleep for the shooting the next day, after all so I changed the hotel to get away from the partying people.

Finally, please give us a message to our readers in Japan.

Japan is beautiful. Thank you for giving Dragonball to us! It’s an important show to us all and I want you to watch it, especially the young people. I thank the show for a lot of good times with my son. I’ll do my best to meet the high expectations the fans have.

I found the part where he mentions Piccolo's loneliness promising, because it tells us that he really studied the character and is basing him acting on the manga/anime.

Storm · Post by **Storm** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:51 pm

Already posted a page back.

I think Piccolo will definitely be the best part about the film. If there's anything I'm looking forward to, it's that.

djkalteraphine · Post by **djkalteraphine** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:17 pm

Kendamu wrote:I don't like that there's a "grittier" feeling in the movie than in the series (according to Marsters). However, I saw that coming a mile away and got my nerd rage out about that awhile back.

Ditto.

Xyex · Post by **Xyex** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:48 pm

Steve Gerber wrote the classic Howard the Duck comics. He had nothing to do with the film that was made. Marvel simply gave him money not to bash it in public.

Something most have gotten lost in my explanation. Gerber falls under 'Writer' (he wrote the comic upon which the movie was based thus there is a level of involvement). If he really hadn't liked the film he'd have distanced himself from it. People do it all the time. The "I got paid" excuse is bull and always has been. If they're willing to take money not to bash something then the either A) Don't give a shit about the material in question (which Gerber did, considering the legal battles) or B) consider it free money since they wouldn't have bashed it anyway since they liked it.

Anyway, back on topic. Yeah. Marsters is easily the part I'm looking forward to most in this. If nothing else his parts of the movie will be pure gold.

Victator Supreme · Post by **Victator Supreme** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:12 pm

Actually the legal battles took place because Gerber wanted in on the profits of a movie. Once it bimbed. He had no reason to hold his tongue about its crumminess.

Pain · Post by **Pain** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:29 pm

Why are we talking about this? I feel like we're saying the same thing over and over again.

Onikage725 · Post by **Onikage725** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:24 am

Kendamu wrote:I don't like that there's a "grittier" feeling in the movie than in the series (according to Marsters). However, I saw that coming a mile away and got my nerd rage out about that awhile back.

I really don't see the problem with that, though. As I look at my collection of already existing films in the series, some of which I like more than the series itself, I can't help but notice that more of them have a grittier feel than the series itself. Last weekend I vegged out Sunday night with a little marathon and watched movies 3,8,9, and 13. So "gritty" isn't so much a problem for me. And there was plenty of dark material in the Daimao Saga.

Xyex wrote: Something most have gotten lost in my explanation. Gerber falls under 'Writer' (he wrote the comic upon which the movie was based thus there is a level of involvement). If he really hadn't liked the film he'd have distanced himself from it. People do it all the time. The "I got paid" excuse is bull and always has been. If they're willing to take money not to bash something then the either A) Don't give a shit about the material in question (which Gerber did, considering the legal battles) or B) consider it free money since they wouldn't have bashed it anyway since they liked it.

See: Alan Moore

Anyway, back on topic. Yeah. Marsters is easily the part I'm looking forward to most in this. If nothing else his parts of the movie will be pure gold.

Hear hear! I'm mainly seeing it for him alone. If there happens to be a solid flick around it, bonus.

AleezaChocolat · Post by **AleezaChocolat** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:40 am

Dragonball Movie Blog got an interview with Jose Fernandez, the founder of Ironhead Studios, which'll be working on DB's special effects; their resume includes such movies as Batman Returns, X2: X-Men United, and Hellboy.

I found the part in which Jose talks about his conversations with James Wong about Goku's look in the film pretty interesting. . . . By the way, there was more to the interview, but I just posted the DB-related parts below, since I figured that that's probably what's of most interest to people here. XD

DBMB: How did you get involved with Dragonball? Was there some sort of “auditioning” process or where you approached by Fox/James Wong?
JF: I was approached by Fox. I’ve done a handful of films for them, so we have a bit of a relationship.

DBMB: What characters did you work on in this film?
JF: In the early design phase I worked on almost, if not every character. After the initial drawings, the director and studio chose what they did and didn’t want to use. As far as final design and fabrication, I was responsible for Piccolo’s full costume and armor, everything except for his makeup, which ADI was responsible for. I also assisted Mayes Rubeo with realizing Goku’s costume and gi.

DBMB: What was it like working with the cast and crew?
JF: Other than James Marsters, I had little contact with the cast. I was only on set for a couple of days to make sure that the costumes were maintained, and looked the best they could on film.

DBMB: What was James Wong like as a director?
JF: I didn’t have the pleasure of working with James in depth. We met in a few preliminary meetings and e-mailed a few times. He seemed very focused and open to creative ideas.

DBMB: What was James Wong looking for in terms of character design?
JF: Well, James seemed to have a healthy respect for the source material. He wanted to create a memorable world that satisfied fans, but also was grounded in reality.

DBMB: How do you expect post-production to effect the look of certain characters? In what ways do you hope it will?
JF: I can only hope that the post-production work enhances the film. My favorite effects are the ones that seamlessly blend the practical and digital worlds. One world should enhance the other. Believability is always key.

DBMB: Were you familiar with the source material when you joined the project? If not, did you consult the original material for inspiration?
JF: I was not at the time, but there were those around me that were. That said, I immediately immersed myself in the world. Hopefully the fans are pleased.

DBMB: In terms of the styling of the characters you worked on for this film, what were some of the details that James Wong had requested you include?
JF: I specifically remember our conversations concerning Goku. James wanted to make sure that he wasn’t too tailored. He wanted Goku to feel like a timeless warrior. A combination of the new and old. Rather than come out of a superhero factory, Goku pieced together his costume from various sources that were important to him.

DBMB: What was the most challenging part of Dragonball?
JF: The biggest challenge for me specifically were budget and time constraints. I’m always pleasantly surprised with what can be done in a limited amount of time. I look forward to those challenges. They force you to be a problem solver.

DBMB: And of course I must ask, who is your favorite Dragonball character and why?
JF: I’m a fan of Yamcha. He reminds me of Han Solo. I’ve always been partial to the “loveable rogue” character. They have the most interesting arcs.

Alas, poor Jose . . . Yamcha didn't get much of a character arc, ever. D:

Snail · Post by **Snail** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:52 am

Guess he made that claim based upon the movie script. He probably didn't exactly immerse himself as deeply as he could have into the original source. Oh well, he seems very humble about it all atleast; hopefully he came up with some good stuff for the film.

Pain · Post by **Pain** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:55 am

Snail wrote:Guess he made that claim based upon the movie script. He probably didn't exactly immerse himself as deeply as he could have into the original source. Oh well, he seems very humble about it all atleast; hopefully he came up with some good stuff for the film.

Everyone who has been interviewed about the movie so far has been pleased with it. A good sign, right?

Snail · Post by **Snail** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:58 am

I honestly think that everybody involved are humble just for the sake of not being rude. That, or a majority of those involved in this film are confused about what to make of the source material itself that they don't even know if they're doing the film justice.

Pain · Post by **Pain** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:00 am

You don't know that and I don't know that. But we can all feel free to assume what we want. A wise man once told me that. His name was Neptune Kai.

Chuquita · Post by **Chuquita** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:36 am

So how "true" is the whole Goku/Chi-Chi/Carey Fuller love triangle thing?
Because that is now bothering me even more than the "Goku's bangs are missing" aspect.