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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
Post subject: The CHILDREN OF MEN fanperson thread
Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 5:00 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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I've sucked majorly at reviewing films this year. Got too caught up with seeing them instead of writing about them, unfortunately. Well, thanks to my signature and the Oscar nomination thread, the secret is out: I heart CHILDREN OF MEN. After possibly/maybe/kinda convincing yov to see it, and just now learning that Estel did, we may as well have a thread for it so that others can contribute if they like. :) My mom and I are going to Fredericton tomorrow specifically to see it (oh, and visit dad) :P so I am working hard to make sure others watch the film. :D

Not sure I'll ever get around to a full-fledged review of it, but here's a few words about it from my website:
Quote:
Baby, I would see CHILDREN OF MEN again in a heartbeat. It was incredible. Easily one of 2006's best. I don't know why it isn't catching on with audiences, but it's a farking shame. Go see it. You must. I didn't know what was going to happen from one scene to the next, the story takes some very bold turns, and the camerawork is astounding. You just can't believe what you're seeing sometimes. There is a particular moment that involves a car being attacked from all directions, and I seem to remember there being no edits - just one continuing shot - but it's really complicated with a lot of things going on, stunt-wise and performance-wise. How they kept it all together is just amazing. On several occasions, I jumped back in my seat from shock. Other times, I was choking back tears. It's a very emotional story. Not sure why I felt so moved by a fictional story when I can ignore similar things on the tv, but there you go. Exceptional film that everybody needs to see. Oh, and there is some phenomenal CGI work that I would love to describe, but don't want to spoil the story, so I'll just say that you'll know it when it shows up. Wow, wow, wow.
More discussions occured in the "What are you listening to right now?" thread starting at this post and continuing on for several more.

And here's teh Estel mention: link (in the cinematography category).




Not b77-related, but one of my favorite movie reviewers did an excellent write-up for it, so check it out if you've seen it:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Veranda..........children_of_men

And I had fun reading about the book from Wikipedia. Spoilers abound, please don't click if you haven't seen the film.

For those who haven't seen it: SEE IT!!!!!

EDITED to add link to it's trailer, because it really should be in this first post. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwsgkurfCjE

TheEllipticalDisillusion has started a similar thread to tackle the more critical aspects of discussion, so feel free to swing on by there as well: The Children of Men critical analysis thread. (Just to note: the title of this thread was meant in jest because I'd heard only the highest of praise for the film from b77ers. It does not mean only those who loved it can post here.) :P




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Last edited by *E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R* on Sun 04 Feb , 2007 5:45 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Ara-anna
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 5:07 pm
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Holy Hell there was CGI work in the movie...damn I didn't even realize it. IT must be good then.

And Agreed, it is a very good movie. People should see it.

Spoiler Alert













I was in tears when they walked down the staircase into the street with the soilders all over, the whole scene was worth the movie.

I hated to see Julianna Moore killed off, and Loved absoluetly LOVED Michael Cains performance, ...pull my finger...

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Sidonzo
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 5:44 pm
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What's this movie about? I have no idea. I'd be more interested in seeing it if I knew the basic premise.

~Sid


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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 6:02 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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Ara-anna wrote:
Holy Hell there was CGI work in the movie...damn I didn't even realize it. IT must be good then.
Spoiler...
Quote:
The baby was entirely CGI rendered.
End of spoiler.

I was pretty teary-eyed through most of it. Those scenes of pandemonium were insane! Didn't expect what happened to the female character, though was suspicious of something because I didn't really hear much about her in the film. Michael Caine was fabulous, I agree. So funny.
Sidonzo wrote:
What's this movie about? I have no idea. I'd be more interested in seeing it if I knew the basic premise.
I've been posting the trailer everywhere. :neutral:

In a nutshell, it's about a dystopian future twenty years from now where women are infertile and the only country left standing is England. Refugees are rounded up and sent to camps. The main character, played by Clive Owen, is asked to help sneak a young female refugee past the security checkpoints because she may hold the key to saving mankind. It's sort of like V FOR VENDETTA crossed with THE NATIVITY STORY.




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Sidonzo
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 6:06 pm
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OK! Thanks! :D It sounds good! And yeah, I'm too lazy to look for those trailers right now. I just wanted something brief like you gave me.

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Ara-anna
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 6:07 pm
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Get the hell out of here........ :Q :Q :Q :Q :Q :Q :Q :Q :Q

Ok they should win the oscar for that alone. :Q :Q :Q :Q :Q


I. am. blown. away.

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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 6:21 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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Sidonzo wrote:
OK! Thanks! :D It sounds good! And yeah, I'm too lazy to look for those trailers right now. I just wanted something brief like you gave me.
No trouble, Sid! I just wasn't sure what you had seen and what you hadn't. :P There are a bunch of links in the first post, so I guess I can overwhelm people with too much information. Sorry about that.

Most important thing is the trailer, because it actually happens to be a good one, unlike so many out there that either give you no idea what it's about or ruin everything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwsgkurfCjE This one shows everything you need to know without ruining 95% of it. :P

Ara, no shit! I think the, uh...
Quote:
vagina/birth canal/whatever
was just rubber, though. I've only had a week to look things up, obviously, but most people are bitching about politics, and that is all I've been able to find so far on that particular effect.




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yovargas
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 6:36 pm
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I knew it! About the CG, I mean. Just cuz it didn't look like something that could be filmed. It looked 100% real though.

I've read that some of those crazy long one-shot action scenes were digitally aided as well, though I can't imagine how.
Quote:
I was in tears when they walked down the staircase into the street with the soilders all over, the whole scene was worth the movie.
So true. I was crying during this too. This scene was the movie for me.


I know a lot of people hated the final scene. What did ya'll think?


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Sidonzo
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 6:55 pm
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The trailer looked great! But then some idiot had written out a big spoiler underneath it! Boo Hiss! Oh well, I'm definitely checking this one out after it is on DVD.

~Sid


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Ara-anna
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 7:00 pm
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Hey I thought the birth looked real, and I have seen real birth more times than I care to.

I thought the final scene was alright. I don't know why I kept thinking well Joseph is supposed to live..you know. Anyway naming the kid Dillon was cool.

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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 7:08 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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yovargas wrote:
Just cuz it didn't look like something that could be filmed. It looked 100% real though.
The thing about CGI is that I'm always acutely aware of when it's being used. I thought the point of special effects were to aid the story and draw you into a fictional world, not draw attention to itself? It's the difference between a pick-pocket getting the job done without you knowing about it, and an illusionist who charges you to watch him. With the big budgeted mega-movies, you go in wanting to see those effects and while it's not a bad thing, it's still kind of vapid. I guess the irony is that if you do your job well as a technical artist in films, no one's supposed to know you're there... which is why they forget to nominate you. :P

The CGI in Children of Men is completely flawless.

Have you ever seen IRREVERSIBLE, yov? That is another movie that was effects-heavy which I didn't realize until listening to the DVD commentary. Whether it's someone getting their face bashed in, or a car window being digitally removed to avoid lighting reflections, most of the shots have some SFX in them and you really wouldn't think so considering it's a low-budget French drama. Anyway.
Quote:
I've read that some of those crazy long one-shot action scenes were digitally aided as well, though I can't imagine how.
I didn't notice any cheats, but will keep an eye out when I see it tomorrow. If you mean aids in regards to the editing, no, I don't get it either, but if you mean slight computer manipulation here and there, well, I can't think of anything specifically but it wouldn't surprise nor bother me if there were. I mean, they still got everything in one take - if they wanted to add an extra tree here or a spatter of blood there, it doesn't hurt anything for me.
Quote:
I know a lot of people hated the final scene. What did ya'll think?
I mentioned that in the music thread: "I didn't mind the ending, but I can see why folks would want more. I liked the characters so much I could've done with as much of them as possible! I think some people were focusing on the wrong thing, like those who thought SIGNS was a movie about aliens and who got all disappointed at the "abrupt" ending. With CoM, just listen to the sound effects at the end and you'll know what happens."

Spoilers...
Quote:
The only part I didn't think was necessary was Theo's death. Perhaps he was obviously hit up in the building, but I didn't notice that and so when he suddenly tells her it's his blood I was like, "... really?" It didn't bother me, it was just unexpected. I had long since gotten used to the notion that no one else matters besides Kee - everyone else is either an enemy, or an ally who will get her to the next step in the journey. Once you've done all you can for her, your part in the story is over. By death or not. I'm game with that. And it was touching that Kee wanted to name her baby after the one Theo and Julian lost, so it's all good. :)

As for the ending ending, while part of me wants to know what the Human Project is up to and if they really can save us, I know that is for another movie. Not a sequel per se, but it's not part of this story. The mission was to get Kee out of England, and that's what they did. The Human Project is Marsellus Wallace's briefcase in PULP FICTION - we don't know and don't need to know. The boat is called "Tomorrow" and the film ends with the sound of children laughing... that is good enough for me. I have hope that humanity can be rebuilt and can sleep with a smile on my face because of it.
EDIT: missed a few posts while typing!
Sidonzo wrote:
The trailer looked great! But then some idiot had written out a big spoiler underneath it! Boo Hiss!
It is a good trailer, ain't it? :) That's what drew me in! And then Vern's review, which I posted up thread, solidified my need to see it.

As for the spoiler, just ignore it. Some people over-simplify an ending to confuse those who haven't seen it, and others lie outright. While knowing the ending can ruin things for me, I think with this film, it's about the emotions you experience on the journey rather than whatever events it ends on. That's why this will be the first movie I've seen more than once in over a year! It's still best to experience it for the first time without knowing much. I went in pretty fresh and was utterly blown away by certain things. They have balls, that is for sure.




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yovargas
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 7:27 pm
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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R* wrote:
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I've read that some of those crazy long one-shot action scenes were digitally aided as well, though I can't imagine how.
I didn't notice any cheats, but will keep an eye out when I see it tomorrow. If you mean aids in regards to the editing, no, I don't get it either, but if you mean slight computer manipulation here and there, well, I can't think of anything specifically but it wouldn't surprise nor bother me if there were. I mean, they still got everything in one take - if they wanted to add an extra tree here or a spatter of blood there, it doesn't hurt anything for me.
I think what they were saying is that they weren't really insanely long one-takes, they were just digitally altered to look like that was the case. I can't imagine how that would be possible if true, but if it is, it's absolutely amazing.


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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 7:50 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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I stand by my observation that there were no visible cheats then. :P

Things like this can be filmed. They just require a LOT of rehearsal. Robert Altman does long takes all the time. In CoM, the car ambush was filmed by placing the camera on the roof so that it could spin around 360 degrees without shooting cameramen and the like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A55xTYXMpI




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Ara-anna
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 8:26 pm
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I might have to go see this movie again.

BTW my one of my favorite side characters was the gypsy lady and her little dog.

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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 8:37 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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Heh. Yes, once she turned out to be an active friend instead of a minor character, I did think more of her. And her sacrifice at the end was poignant. Plays into my beliefs that even the characters in the story realize the importance of the girl and how they must aid her as long as possible, even at the cost of their own lives. This is probably one of the least selfish group of characters I've ever seen in a film. They really are in it for the greater good. It's refreshing.




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Estel
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The thing with this film was that I didn't think it had affected me that strongly. The ending was interesting because you didn't really know what happened - I think they may have changed it for the American Audience, cause there were
Quote:
no children laughing - they really left it up to the audience to decide what happened. Whether or not the ship was the human project or not, etc etc
. Anyway...

When I finally figured out how it had affected me was about two days later when I was walking down the street and I heard a baby crying. I was simply overcome with feelings of joy and had tears running down my face without me even realizing it. I was not PMSing at the time either.

I think my absolute favorite part of the film was the
Quote:
long running scene that ended with them in the building - it was the fact that there was actually a spot or two of blood on the camera. I really felt like I was there - running and hiding with them. Absolutely fucking amazing.


I never noticed the CGI at all - very well done.


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yovargas
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 9:36 pm
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[ot note] i use a theme with a blue background and white font. This means that white spoilers look exactly like regular text to me. It's kinda funny looking, really. :P [/ot]


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*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*
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Posted: Tue 23 Jan , 2007 9:51 pm
I've cried a thousand oceans, and I would cry a thousand more if that's what it takes to sail you home.
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I always end up giving spoilers away no matter how hard I try otherwise. :roll:

That was not at you, but in general because I forget that there are other settings for the boards. I guess the most failsafe method is to do multiple lines of blank space, but then it really gets mucked up when you're trying to show which lines ARE okay to read.

Argh, I give up. :P




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Estel
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Posted: Wed 24 Jan , 2007 2:19 pm
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yovargas wrote:
[ot note] i use a theme with a blue background and white font. This means that white spoilers look exactly like regular text to me. It's kinda funny looking, really. :P [/ot]
You say that every time yova, but the majority of people don't use the cobalt skin, so I'll continue using the white with quote box ;)


I forgot - there's one thing about the movie that seriously bugged me.
Quote:
Through the whole movie they're trying to show how important the baby is - to the point where the girl says they'll probably take it away from her and give it to some posh woman. The thing is, the mother would have been just as important if not more important than the baby simply because if she had one, she could have another. People would've been so afraid to hurt her and cause problems with her having more babies - she would've been treated like a piece of very fragile, but very expensive crystal if she had ever been discovered. It was actually more dangerous for her to be out in public, because in desperate times like that, many men would've wanted her to have their baby and resorted to violence to try and get her pregnant themselves. If the government had found her, there might've been some very gentle experiments, but not to much, for fear of hurting her chances of having another child, and she probably would've been made pregnant again through artificial insemination. In fact, I doubt, if she had been caught by the government, whether or not she would've ever been allowed to have sex again - fear dictating that someone might be too rough with her and mess up her chances of having more kids again.

Either way, the child would've been very important, but she would've been 100% more so because of her ability to have children. The movie totally and completely missed out on that aspect to the point of making her seem unimportant - give the baby away to some posh lady. Please - that was the most stupid line in what was a very good movie

Anywho...... :whistle:


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yovargas
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Posted: Wed 24 Jan , 2007 2:24 pm
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Estel wrote:
yovargas wrote:
[ot note] i use a theme with a blue background and white font. This means that white spoilers look exactly like regular text to me. It's kinda funny looking, really. :P [/ot]
You say that every time yova, but the majority of people don't use the cobalt skin, so I'll continue using the white with quote box ;)
Oh, I didn't realize I'd said that before and I didn't mean to say that you should stop. It just looks funny on my screen is all. :)


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