Thread: What movie would you make?

Remake LOTR, after everybody's forgotten Jackson's attempt.

Last of the Breed, by Louis L'Amour. Would be worth it just for the ending.

Maybe something based on the life of King David, possibly combined with King Saul.

Originally Posted by gunnut

I would make movies like Star Wars and Independence Day.

I think the public is short on feel good movies. Recently the movies we see have no clear distinction between the good guys and the bad guys. Good guys have tons of flaws and bad guys have redeemable qualities. The stories are all morals in the shades of grey. We are ready for a very simple movie of the good struggling against the bad. Star Wars was such a movie.

I bet everyone here remember the feeling after finishing watching Star Wars for the first time. You just feel good all over. You wanted to be Luke Skywalker. You wanted to live the "farm boy leading a ragtag group of rebel fighters and defeat the evil empire" story. How many movies give you that feeling?

I have to disagree with you there, it was that milkboy skywalker who made the movies great, it were the more more debious one like Han Solo or even Darth Vader.

I would try to get together as many different 'bellycrawlers' as strict technical advisers OoE calls them as possible and create a film which strove for accuracy and to convey the balls-to-the-wall visceral fright of urban combat. I'm thinking elements of Black Hawk Down with the sound effects from Heat, with the unflinching gore of Saving Private Ryan, but better. Don't omit civilians dying or being injured.

No war film cliches, which even Black Hawk Down snuck in - e.g. Shugart's (or Gordon's?) wife just failing to pick up the phone in time to answer his call; even if you didn't know anything about the battle, you'd know that character wasn't coming back - and generally as much noise as possible.

Slow motion (think 300), expository and preachy dialogue (think... y'know, loads of films) and shaky cam (think Bourne Supremacy) limited to where absolutely necessary. Both sides represented and morality cut out, unless you have an exceptionally skilled director.

Use a fictional battle in fictional war if needed.

Originally Posted by gunnut

I bet everyone here remember the feeling after finishing watching Star Wars for the first time. You just feel good all over. You wanted to be Luke Skywalker. You wanted to live the "farm boy leading a ragtag group of rebel fighters and defeat the evil empire" story. How many movies give you that feeling?

Not even Star Wars fulfils your wish for clean-cut dichotomy - Skywalker almost gives in the dark side when beating down the old man, and Vader himself has obvious redeeming qualities in his love of family and eventual redemption, despite being one of the most famous villains in film history. + Tarek Morgen's comment concerning Han Solo.

These feelgood movies feel just retarded and boring after a short while. Yes, you should have distinctions, but they should be intelligent instead of Mother Theresa vs baby-eating Nazis. E.g. A baby-eating Mother Theresa. Butter cookie to the one who identifies who I stole that from.

Originally Posted by Tarek Morgen

I have to disagree with you there, it was that milkboy skywalker who made the movies great, it were the more more debious one like Han Solo or even Darth Vader.

Originally Posted by HistoricalDavid

Not even Star Wars fulfils your wish for clean-cut dichotomy - Skywalker almost gives in the dark side when beating down the old man, and Vader himself has obvious redeeming qualities in his love of family and eventual redemption, despite being one of the most famous villains in film history. + Tarek Morgen's comment concerning Han Solo.

These feelgood movies feel just retarded and boring after a short while. Yes, you should have distinctions, but they should be intelligent instead of Mother Theresa vs baby-eating Nazis. E.g. A baby-eating Mother Theresa. Butter cookie to the one who identifies who I stole that from.

I think I didn't make it clear enough.

I meant Star Wars as in episode 4, A New Hope.

It's the only Star Wars movie that can be watched by itself. It was a complete movie. It was a simple movie. It could be enjoyed by everyone from 8 to 80. There were no bad languages in there because it didn't need it. There were good guys and there were bad guys. There was the boy hero. There was the princess in distress.

The Empire Strikes Back had a decidedly darker mood and it was well done.

Return of the Jedi was almost as dark buy the ewoks were a bit too campy.

Episode 1, 2, and 3 do not exist.

Independence Day was similar to Star Wars. There were good guys and there were bad guys. Good guys facing overwhelming odds but wins in the end. There were some bad languages but not totally out of place. It was a feel-good movie that made you feel good to be alive.

I like movies that are grand. The heroes fighting for something more than themselves. The fate of the human race or the galaxy at stake.

True Lies was also good. Not quite the fate of the planet at stake, but an entire city was pretty close. Of course there were the 2 Arnolds who worked so well together.

I just like feel-good movies with good guys beating up the bad guys. Realism is nice but not necessary.

I'm ready for another gang movie. Shot in continuous action, like that scene in Children of Men, where Clive Owen escorts the pregant woman through the battlefield streets of England, dashing in and out of gunfire, explosions, blood on the lens... except 90 mins of that. No cuts, one contiguous 90 minute shot with every scene lined up on an assembly line, passing by with no interruptions so no adderall will be required to stay awake. Oh and the cameraman talks and participates in all the action too

Lots of war movie ideas, so I have to ask a supplemental question, if anyone has any opinions: directors on the battlefield during an ongoing war, good thing, bad thing, moot question?

Originally Posted by Silent Hunter

I'm actually writing a screenplay- I've made enquiries here about it. It's a military thriller.

If I had a choice of casting, I'd cast Jewel Staite as the main villain.

Mmmmm, Kaylee...

Me, I'd go for a true adaptation of the Lensmen books. Then John Carter of Mars.

-dale