I was just watching Alien....

Alien and Aliens both amazing films for totally different reasons. I don't really like horror and as an action fan I prefer Aliens + the cheesy lines and it really hit the genres nail on the head.

3 isn't bad and neither is 4. I would rather watch Ron Pearlman and Winona Ryder than anyone or thing in AvP. + it had Ripley in it and both AVPs are just god damn awful.
 
In all fairness studying film and TV makes you no more qualified than any critic or average person. Admittedly you are probably aware of a wider variety of films and more of what goes into them than most but films are made for entertainment. There is no right answer with regards to any film, someone can love or hate it.

If I spot a continuity error it does bother me but wouldn't change my opinion about the film unless it is a big plot hole.
 
Richeh said:
In all fairness studying film and TV makes you no more qualified than any critic or average person. Admittedly you are probably aware of a wider variety of films and more of what goes into them than most but films are made for entertainment. There is no right answer with regards to any film, someone can love or hate it.
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Bingo. Too many people over-analyse films as to why you should like/dislike them. It's all subjective and everyone likes different things. I've watched Alien a few times and had never noticed that...you know why? Because I'm watching and enjoying the film. Now had the cup gone from Ripley's hand to sitting on her head then yes it would have been noticable and stupid ;)
 
Richeh said:
In all fairness studying film and TV makes you no more qualified than any critic or average person. Admittedly you are probably aware of a wider variety of films and more of what goes into them than most but films are made for entertainment. There is no right answer with regards to any film, someone can love or hate it.

If I spot a continuity error it does bother me but wouldn't change my opinion about the film unless it is a big plot hole.
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Gustov said:
to say I know more than you about the subject? No not necessarily, but I'd like to think I'm not ignorant on the topic.
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Film are made for entertainment is a very debatable topic as well ;) Sure most Hollywood productions are but if you're going to tell me Michael Haneke's productions are made with 'entertainment' as the sole aim I'd argue otherwise, he's got other things prioritized.
 
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Alien eh? I remember the scene in the air duct when Dallas encounters the alien. That scene could have been cut right at the moment we see the creature, instead they left it around 10 seconds so we get the full horror of its rubber fingers wobbling about.

My biggest complaint about the Alien franchise was the meddling with the alien life cycle to make them into big egg-laying insects.
Originally as I recall, each host creature would transform into an egg, a much more horrific concept.
 
One thing is for sure, rather you than me walk up to Ridley Scott and tell him that you are a film and tv student and its your opinion that his film is "tacky". I dont think I could handle having to explain to the paramedics why the guy I am speaking to injured himself laughing ;)
 
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Gustov said:
I'm going to try my best to not sound arrogant here.

I study Film and TV and am currently in my final year, I read about and watch a lot of films, to say I know more than you about the subject? No not necessarily, but I'd like to think I'm not ignorant on the topic.

Anyway, there is a person on the crew hired SPECIFICALLY for continuity, the idea being that when the film is in post-production it should make sense when it is cut together. If it doesn't matter tell me why this person is hired?

Secondly, it's not about it making sense, it's about production values. Something as simple as drinking a cup of coffee really does have to make sense because it has no relation to the narrative, Ripley is simply drinking a cup of coffee. This cup of coffee has no agenda....

Furthermore, it just makes the production look tacky. As I say, narrative structure doesn't have make 'sense', Magnolia is proof of that. But something as simple as drinking coffee in the same scene.....yes it does.

When I see a mistake as obvious as this it reminds me that I'm watching 'just a movie'.
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On set, a lot of continuity people are the LAZIEST folk around.

In cases such as the coffee mug, though, the editor needs to take some blame too.
 
Pestilence said:
On set, a lot of continuity people are the LAZIEST folk around.

In cases such as the coffee mug, though, the editor needs to take some blame too.
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Gustov said:
Well it's the fault of the person assigned to continuity, the director for not seeing it on the monitor and the person in the cutting room not working around it (although he/she may have been left with no choice as the rushes simply weren't cuttable in a 'viable' way)
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Gustov said:
When I see a mistake as obvious as this it reminds me that I'm watching 'just a movie'.
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So why pick on this 1 mistake out of millions of films in this 1 film since you pick up on these things?
If you go to Movie Mistakes you'll find that you missed quite a few more before your scene so your eye isn't that good.
Who cares if Spartacus wears a digital watch, if you go round watching films like that you won't enjoy anything.
 
dmpoole said:
So why pick on this 1 mistake out of millions of films in this 1 film since you pick up on these things?
If you go to Movie Mistakes you'll find that you missed quite a few more before your scene so your eye isn't that good.
Who cares if Spartacus wears a digital watch, if you go round watching films like that you won't enjoy anything.
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I'm not out to pick up or try and find mistakes here, there and everywhere. I picked up on this mistake because it is so unbelievably obvious.

Who cares? Me, I care. I'm not asking you to care. If you want to ignore the fact that a coffee cup has magically morphed into Ripley's hand then so be it...
 
Admittedly the biomorphic cup is currently a highly expensive and rare luxury, but by the time of deep space travel near light speed and fully automated and self aware biocybernetic androids the BM cup, as it came to be known, was quite commonplace. Though this widespread production did cause many "fake" BM companies to create lesser copies of the original design which were often erratic in their functionality :D
 
Gustov said:
Film are made for entertainment is a very debatable topic as well ;) Sure most Hollywood productions are but if you're going to tell me Michael Haneke's productions are made with 'entertainment' as the sole aim I'd argue otherwise, he's got other things prioritized.
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Ok then, the vast majority of films are made for entertainment purposes.

Your post mentioned the fact you were a film student and most people would read it as backing up your argument by illustrating you are knowledgeable on the subject. You may be a film student but you have never seen Alien until now? and the first thing you post before even finishing the film is a misplaced mug? :p

I like to just turn on a film and enjoy, it must be infuriating noticing all of the continuity errors. I watch films to be entertained as do most people. I'll watch Alien soon and enjoy it....you have fun with your mug :(
 
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It takes them a long time to set up each shot, not to mention something like Alien was probably cut on film. They're bound to miss stuff in these type of shoots; there is a guy walking around in jeans in Gladiator, a teleporting coffee mug in The Departed, camera crews reflected in door handles in The Matrix and a kid anticipating a gunshot by putting his hands to his ears in Rear Window.

It really doesn't matter though. These shoots involve hundreds of people and just a ridiculous amount of stuff going on at each time.
 
I've only ever seen Alien once and I was in my early teens then. Seen Aliens on the other hand more than a dozen times now though heh. After that I pretty much discount any Alien films and AvP series in particular.
 
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