[Fey]

Okay, so, I'm alllllllll excited about all the comic movies coming out this summer. We have Thor, Captain America, Green Lanter, X-men First Class, Preist, Tranformers 3, and Conan. I was recently discussing how excited I was about this with other people and they gave me The Look. Then they proceeded to gripe over 'It's just sad because there's no original movies coming out.'

This of course popped my bubble. And I sorta proceeded to pop theirs, I'm mean like that. In case you've not had a classic literature class most stories are all the same thing, oh there may be a twist, but they're all based on older stories, based on older verbal tales. So yeah, there's really no such thing and an ORIGINAL movie. Just an original take on an older story.

But, I digress! First, is anyone else excited for all these movies? Horrified? Pondering living in the theater to make seats easier to get?

Next, what's your favorite 'original' movie and bonus points if you know what 'base' story it is!

So for me, obviously, I'm super excited for the upcoming summer of movie magic. My favorite 'original' movie...I don't really have one. All the movies I love are based on some copyrighted characters LOL.

[Demonskid]

I can't wait for Transformers 3.. :3 *bounces* I loved one and two.. Oh and X-men! x3 Gotta love the X-men movies!

It is kinda sad that most of the movies lately are Live versions of older comics or cartoons but.. I like it! .. I wish they didn't practically remake the batman movie.. >< 2 face and the joker in the new versions SUCK.. D:

No one will EVER beat Jack Nickleson, or Tommy Lee Jones when it comes to the Batman bad guys.. =(

[Quiet Man Cometh]

EDIT: "Batman" with Jack is still my favourite of the franchise. :)

There's a new Conan movie coming out? Really? I hope to heck it's good! I love the first movie but the second was a franchise killer. Apparently they actually intended to make many but it didn't happen. Reminds me of the monstrocity that was the DnD movie.

I'm not a comic person at all. The only ones I've read were for school; an issue of "Spider Man" for a sociology project and Watchmen for literature and popular culture. I was happy to see Watchmen come out, even if I think the director played it safe as far as the ending and some of the characters went. Transformers I thought was great fun, even though I haven't seen the series beyond the recent Beast Wars spinoff and the movie from the 80's.

As far as original goes, I don't know the typical stories that everything comes off of (there's supposed to be seven, I heard, according to a book written on the subject) but it's easy to see if one dumbs down the plot to a few words. The first Conan, for example, "family dead, guy wants revenge." Throw in a love interest and a side story involving "save the princess" (or, dumbed down further, "go fetch") and it's job done.

My first thought when you mentioned original movie was to think Vidocq, but thats really more because of the style. Thinking about it, the story is actually pretty basic: Guy dead, track down bad guy, with a couple puzzles to solve along the way.

EDIT 2: Sigh. I need to proofread my posts more.

[CupcakeDolly]

Originally Posted by Quiet Man Cometh

Reminds me of the monstrocity that was the DnD movie.

Ugh. I like to pretend that those two hours of my life never happened.

Most movies nowadays have no original story whatsoever. The most popular templates for movies are: Based on books, based on comic books, based on video games, based on a tv show, based on the exact same movie from a different period in time, or based on a true story.

I don't see what the huge deal is. Movies are for people who want to sit back and watch a story come to life anyway - who cares if the story has already been told in different media? Personally, I loved seeing Batman and Watchmen come to life on the big screen. I'm all for comic book movies, but I usually end up hating any movies that are based on books that I love. "The Vampire's Assistant," most recently, was a gigantic disappointment.

[Glitch]

I don't know that this counts since it's an older movie and not one coming out . . . but my favorite original movie is Zorro, the gay blade. It gets me every time <3 No idea what it's based on.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I think a good explanation of how stories resemble each other is to take a lot at Joseph Campbell's monomyth idea. He made a study of world relgions and took the similarities between the to create what he figured were the essential building blocks of all myth, sort of. Don't take me word for word on that. He has a piece called "The Heroes Journey" which details the stages of an adventure. For example: the call to action which sends the hero out on his quest; Mentor, or the figure who guides the hero's efforts; the quest for a needed object to solve the current problem.

The call to action might be in the form of a wizard with a pointy had that arrives on your doorstep with a bunch of dwarves in tow, or the head of a spy network that sends out his best agent on a suicide mission, or something happens to the protagonist that makes him want to leave and do something (ie, revenge for death, need to help sick family member, etc). Obi-Wan Kenobi makes a dandy Mentor figure to guide Luke on his quest. In this sense, all stories are made up of common elements which are coloured over to flesh out the story into something entertaining rather than a bland narrative.

[Demonskid]

Originally Posted by CupcakeDolly

but I usually end up hating any movies that are based on books that I love. "The Vampire's Assistant," most recently, was a gigantic disappointment.

That movie was a HUGH Disappointment. I have most of the Cirque Du Freak books and I was really excited about the movie.. then when I saw it I wanted to cry..

Sometimes I prefer a movie to be remade.. but that depends on how good the acting is in the original movie. And I do love seeing a book come to life on the big screen.. only if it follows the book.. Queen of the Damned was another big Book to Film disappointment.

I hope one day, the 'Cat Who' Books come to life in a tv show of their own.. or a movie series.

[CupcakeDolly]

Originally Posted by Quiet Man Cometh

I think a good explanation of how stories resemble each other is to take a lot at Joseph Campbell's monomyth idea. He made a study of world relgions and took the similarities between the to create what he figured were the essential building blocks of all myth, sort of. Don't take me word for word on that. He has a piece called "The Heroes Journey" which details the stages of an adventure. For example: the call to action which sends the hero out on his quest; Mentor, or the figure who guides the hero's efforts; the quest for a needed object to solve the current problem.

The call to action might be in the form of a wizard with a pointy had that arrives on your doorstep with a bunch of dwarves in tow, or the head of a spy network that sends out his best agent on a suicide mission, or something happens to the protagonist that makes him want to leave and do something (ie, revenge for death, need to help sick family member, etc). Obi-Wan Kenobi makes a dandy Mentor figure to guide Luke on his quest. In this sense, all stories are made up of common elements which are coloured over to flesh out the story into something entertaining rather than a bland narrative.

I vaguely remember learning about this very concept in freshman English. Basically, all stories draw from the same template, and most - if not all - elements of that template appear in every single story you'll read. The call to action, the mentor/guide, the mascot/sidekick helper, the love interest, the development of abilites/powers, journeying to another world, and a final battle are all the most common themes.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Originally Posted by CupcakeDolly

I vaguely remember learning about this very concept in freshman English. Basically, all stories draw from the same template, and most - if not all - elements of that template appear in every single story you'll read. The call to action, the mentor/guide, the mascot/sidekick helper, the love interest, the development of abilites/powers, journeying to another world, and a final battle are all the most common themes.

It's something like that, though Campbell's book is more psychology than literary theory (of which psychology is a subset, but still, I think he crosses a line). The book isn't the easiest to follow if you haven't read Freud and Jung (which I hadn't at the time), and some of the elements of the monomyth can be a bit abstract and difficult to grasp, though it may just be the way he presents them. It's not an easy book, at all, I did a project with it for Mythology class and almost ended up changing to something else.

Anyway, I don't like virtually any movies, much for the originality reason. It's all in the way the elements are combined, and it seems to me that most movies are just... lazy, at combining them. And it doesn't hurt to spin a time-honored trope on its head from time to time.

Still, my standards are pretty high, and a movie has to bring pretty much every aspect together seamlessly for me to enjoy it (plot, characters, dialogue, setting, exposition, theme, let alone the technical stuff like acting, filming, editing, music score, CGI, accents, and costumes). Also, if it's an adaptation from another medium, that burden is increased substantially. Don't talk to me about the Lord of the Rings films. I'll get very grumpy

Also, Transformers... eew.

[Mizeria]

I can't wait for x-men. Really its been my weakness for years.
Though I should tell you when I was a kid I wasn't able to read comics and I didn't have cable until last year. So when I saw x-men on Saturday morning cartoons its pretty much all I have to go off of...

Since moving out I haven't had the money to pour into comics. I wouldn't mind getting into them. Most of my friends could tell you anything and everything where as I'm pretty much in the dark.

I guess it was always the concept of "mutants among us"
Ya kno? People that are different that are just trying to find a place to be themselves and survive.

Yes, I'll probably go see all of those movies. I have yet to see Thor, but all my friends went on opening night. I heard complaints so I haven't had anyone to go with, and movies are one thing I hate going to alone. Priest comes out tonight I believe... hmm.. wonder if I'll have money.

Either way; All the comic book movies that have been coming out this year and in the past few have mostly been awesome. (In my point of view) As someone that hasn't read the comics... I'm sure all of you could find flaws... ^.^;;

[Fey]

::feels embarrased or neglecting her own thread::

OMG yes yes, Jack will always be the Joker I love...mostly cause I'm scared spitless of the Heath Ledger one. Though, I think the reason everything now is based on pre-existing shows/books is because they KNOW there's an audience for them. I mean, you could make your own personal story into a movie, but do you know it'll sell? You make something from a current popular culture(like Akira, currently in works I believe), you're gonna already have a huuuuuuuuge fan base that will fork over money. We shall not mention the movie that shall not be mentioned(DBZ) that proves just cause you can make it doesn't mean you should.

Yes, there's a new Conan out, but unfortunately the only preview right now is stupid and smoky. I'm waitin on a new one to determin if it's good. I know they made more, I recall watching at least three when I was growing up...my whole family likes the 'bad' movies LOL

I, too, try to not recall the DnD movies. Specially since I took a lot of non-gamer friends and then had to explain for the next MONTH it wasn't like THAT!

I LOVE ZORRO THE GAY BLADE!!! Oh, and cause I'm the harbinger of all random things, they're apparently making a post-apocalyptic(or talking about making) version. I will see it if they make it, and I will enjoy it, if only for the Zorro-ness of it.

Demonskid...I think I love you, I loooooooooved The Cat Who series...I just dunno how they'd do it as a series of movies.... Maybe two or three REALLY well done ones would be fantastic. They've got the tech now to make the whole thing very, very believable.

Mizeria, that must be why you like the original two x-men movies, the director had NEVER read a comic, so they gave him the 90s animated series to watch. He only made it through the Phoenix Saga before he decided he was ready to go. The third movie was done by an actual fan(hence why I loved it most). The director for First Class was supposed to do Three, but backed out because he wasn't sure he could do it justice, so here's to hoping he got all his ducks in a row! I'll be looking for easter eggs for long time fans since we're bringing in a looooooooot of old school(many currently dead/out of the comic loop) characters.

And yes, that caught me up on others, now for new news from me!

So, I got to see Thor before it premiered and OMG looooooooved it! Though not my first comic love I'd touched off and on with it over the years. The cast was good, despite some reservations, and the effects weren't 'OMG can we dooz more shiniez nao'. Up next will be XFC the week after I go on vaca.... Aaaaaaand, I completely forgot in the first post to include Preist, a story based on a Korean Graphic Novel! Also looks very, very good!

[Mizeria]

Fey; Its more of I like the [idea] of th x-men. Personally I really didn't like 3. At all. 1 & 2 were oki... but... they get old fast.
-sigh-
I'm hoping First Class is good. But they called Wasp "Angel" in a preview I saw today. So my faith is failing...

Anyways;
Priest was AWESOME! I went to see it yesterday; It had a few minor flaws (girls top was unbuttoned they showed her buttoning it up and then next cut it was undone again... and the cut after that it was back to the way it was supposed to be)
But; again, I don't know the storyline from comics... so it might not have been done well in comparison...

[Azrael]

Saw thor the other week. Not bad, I enjoyed it. But I enjoyed most staring at the actor for two hours. Oh yesh ~drool~

I wanna see pretty much all the movies coming out. Which isn't good cause movies are expensive. XD

[Mizeria]

Movies ARE expensive now...
$10 or even $13 if you want to see something in 3D
x.x

Honestly staring at actors is the only reason to go to some movies >.>;;
Like the Twilight movies.
I only go to stare at Taylor Lautner ^.^;;
[But this is a little off topic]

Out of all the movies mentioned in the first post I think the two I'm mostly likey NOT to see would be Thor and Cap America...
-I can't get over a God being a "super hero"
=.=;
And with the rage my roomie has for the Cap America movie I probably won't be able to sit through it with him..

[Arachnocampa]

I'm super excited for the Dragonriders of Pern movie that's supposed to be in the making or something here soon. I mean, I'm also really freaking nervous, because I don't want my favorite book series to get butchered... BUT I'VE BEEN DREAMING OF A DRoP MOVIE FOR SO LOOONG! *A*

[Mizeria]

I don't want to burst your bubble but they may not do it justice.
First movies for books tend to kill the books.
I mean; Look at Eragon for example.
The book was amazing and the movie had people wanting to burn it and the person that made it.
The damn dragon had FEATHERS! ...I mean COME ON!
-sigh-

I haven't read the dragon riders of pern books but I hope that they do it justice for you~