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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
 Posted - 08/25/2007 : 6:43:15 PM
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When they made Godzilla, the producers thought it was asking too much of the audience to make a movie about a lizard with nuclear breath.
When they made Superman Returns, the producers thought it was asking to much of the audience to have Superman say "Truth, Justice and the American Way."
When they made Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the producers thought it was asking too much of the audience to have a "super-sized, horned helmet-wearing, intergalactic superbeing who eats planets whole"(intellectual property of the Foywonder).
And now they are doing a G. I. Joe film...
Apparently, the producers thought it was asking to much of the audience to have heros be AMERICANS.
G. I. Joe will now stand for:
Global
Integrated
Joint
Operating
Entity
Based out of Brussels, no less. Jean Claude Van Damn, please call your office.
[url="http://movies.ign.com/articles/815/815454p1.html"]Click Here to Read the Article.[/url]
Here's the money quote:
So why the changes? Hasbro and Paramount execs recently spoke about the challenges of marketing a film about the U.S. military at a time when the current U.S. administration and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at a low-point in global polls. When a studio makes a film as expensive as G.I. Joe will likely be, they want to know that as many people as possible around the world will want to see it. In other words, G.I. Joe -- "A Real American Hero" -- is a tough sell.
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"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2007 : 8:22:12 PM
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Well at least we have Team America. F@ck yeah!!
*g*
Seriously, I feel you. Why even bother.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2007 : 9:11:07 PM
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Team America and...Megaforce!
Hard to believe there was a time when Hollywood made movies for American audiences and figured that if audiences in Rome and Athens also just happened to like them too, that was just icing on the cake.
A few years back I read a book titled "Not Like Us", about the differences in culture, politics, economics, etc. between Europe and the United States. A theater owner in a heavily pro-communist district of Rome during the Cold War noted that when he showed films produced in the Soviet Union he drew decent crowds, but that you could hear a pin drop during the film.
A film from Hollywood starring Cary Grant would have lines snaking around the block and raucous laughter in the audience.
I don't figure I'll be watching this GI Joe movie. I doubt I'll even do it the dubious honor of pirating it from Utorrent. Perhaps I'll just re-watch "Saving Private Ryan", which portrays the liberation of the grandparents of the generation of Europeans who would now find a movie about heroic American soldiers to be off-putting. |
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GalahadPC
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
380 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 12:36:56 AM
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NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
SCUBA - Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
AMRAAM - Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile
NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
GIJOE - Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity
Which if these is not like the others? Which of these just isn't the same?
I suggest "Guardians of International Justice against Organized Evil." At least then you wouldn't have to be American to guess what this Belgium-based global organization is all about. |
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Ericb
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
648 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 05:27:18 AM
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"Entity?" What a strange yet bland term. What is it, some incorporeal thingy from a lost Star Trek episode?
"I reserve the right to look as well as be boring." - Robert Fripp |
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Cannon Fodder
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Australia
176 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 06:31:21 AM
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Damn, that's a horrible acronym. Though it seems reasonable that the studios might want to develop their movies to appeal to an international audience rather than just a US audience, especially considering that is where half the money is made with these kind of movies. That said, I really doubt that making US movies less ostensibly American will make any difference to the international box office, people just want to see stuff blow up real good and that's something which can be appreciated by any culture. If anything, I'm sure this lame and laboured reinvention will put people off.
As it is, I remember as a kid being familiar with G.I. Joe under the name Action Force, as they called the comics (And the toyline I think) in the UK. Although that night have been a case of the US stuff introduced into the already existing British equivalent Brand of toys/comics. Probably Hasbro took over the existing toyline or something along those lines.
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 07:12:30 AM
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I don't need no international entity to operate my joint.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 11:05:34 AM
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I think I see the icy hand of Jabootu reaching for this project. Especially, when I read this quote from the producer.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura added, "My experience with beloved properties is that characters, attitude and tone are even more important than plot."
I LOVE this guy.
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"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
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Gristle McThornbody
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Germany
186 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 12:09:47 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Capt. Nemo
I think I see the icy hand of Jabootu reaching for this project. Especially, when I read this quote from the producer.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura added, "My experience with beloved properties is that characters, attitude and tone are even more important than plot."
I LOVE this guy.
Does good ol' Lorenzo happen to mention exactly what his experience with beloved properties is?
"Hi, I'm Bob Evil!" |
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RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 6:38:08 PM
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This seems like either really stupid thinking, or really weird thinking. If, as the article states, the US Army is not popular abroad, then WHY MAKE a movie about G.I. Joe? Why not make a movie about something else that IS popular with vast numbers of people?
It's like making "The Lord of the Rings" but saying, "You know, fantasy stuff isn't popular with audiences, so we're going to set it in downtown Chicago, and the Ring will be changed to a loan payment to a mob boss."
Or "We're remaking King Kong, but no one really likes monkeys so we're turning him into a giant robot. The toys will be easier to make, as a bonus." |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 7:24:07 PM
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I believe the thinking is more along the lines of...
"Mainstream America will watch whatever crap we feed them so long as we hype it up a lot, so in the commercials and trailers we'll downplay the multinational aspect of the movie."
Ah, good ole' multinational GI Joe!
Starring Gerard Depardieu as Duke!
Kenneth Brannagh as Snake Eyes!
Sean Bean as Sergeant Slaughter!
And introducing GI Joe's newest team member! Drip Pan, GI Joe's tough as nails Environmental Protection Officer who answers directly to the United Nations!
This time, the enemy isn't Cobra. It's Israel!
Hey, as long as we are going to try and make it palpable to overseas audiences, why not milk the anti-semitism for a few more dollars too.
I'm going to make a prediction. Word about this is going to get out to the Reagan generation kids who grew up watching the cartoon and they will reject it in droves as selling out.
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Edited by - Citizen Carrier on 08/26/2007 7:29:40 PM |
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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 7:38:34 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Gristle McThornbody
Does good ol' Lorenzo happen to mention exactly what his experience with beloved properties is?
"Hi, I'm Bob Evil!"
Permit me to educate.
Here's his IMDB profile ([url="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0225146/"]Click Here[/url]).
And here's what comes up in Ask.com ([url="http://www.ask.com/web?q=Lorenzo+di+Bonaventura&search=&qsrc=0&o=0&l=dir"]Click Here[/url]).
Make sure your firewall software for your brain is current. The fact this guy has Transformers and Doom on his resume will definately not compute.
________________________________________________________________________
"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2007 : 9:52:31 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Citizen Carrier
Sean Bean as Sergeant Slaughter!
SWEET! *g*
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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Cannon Fodder
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Australia
176 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2007 : 06:52:20 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Citizen Carrier
This time, the enemy isn't Cobra. It's Israel!
Hey, as long as we are going to try and make it palpable to overseas audiences, why not milk the anti-semitism for a few more dollars too.
Ummm, what exactly is the connection between appealing to overseas audiences and anti-Semitism? Are you suggesting that everyone outside the US is anti-Semitic or something? |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2007 : 07:34:33 AM
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Ah, perhaps I am reaching a bit with that, but Israel usually finishes right around the United States in various popularity contests worldwide. The BBC did an internal study (which they did not release to the public, but was leaked) that found their reporting is routinely anti-Israel. And more than one U.N. conferences on "racism" has degenerated into a "bash Israel" forum. Israel's popularity among many U.N. member nations is seems to be quite low and not just because they usually vote on things similarly to the way America does. Hey, I think it would sell movie tickets.
The logic that a pro-American military movie wouldn't sell overseas does suggest that an anti-Israel movie would sell for much the same reasons. |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2007 : 07:43:28 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Capt. Nemo
quote:
Originally posted by Gristle McThornbody
Does good ol' Lorenzo happen to mention exactly what his experience with beloved properties is?
"Hi, I'm Bob Evil!"
Permit me to educate.
Here's his IMDB profile ([url="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0225146/"]Click Here[/url]).
And here's what comes up in Ask.com ([url="http://www.ask.com/web?q=Lorenzo+di+Bonaventura&search=&qsrc=0&o=0&l=dir"]Click Here[/url]).
Make sure your firewall software for your brain is current. The fact this guy has Transformers and Doom on his resume will definately not compute.
Good Lord, another Beverly Hills Cop movie? Wasn't the third one bad enough? With that awful rocket launching/machinegun boom box radio? I'm sorry, but I just don't think I can watch another Eddie Murphy movie without picturing him in amorous flagrante delicto with a transgender prostitute.
Transformers II was inevitable, I guess. Too much money made. I honestly didn't think too much of the first one. My mind kept wandering during many of the combat action sequences. All that CGI felt like watching somebody else play a video game. Or worse, a recording of somebody else playing a video game but viewed in fast forward mode with the sound cranked up to annoying levels. The best parts of the movie were when the robots weren't fighting, but interacting with the human characters. |
Edited by - Citizen Carrier on 08/27/2007 07:51:13 AM |
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