Interesting...

In the last half hour, I suddenly decided I liked it. This isn't what it's pitched as. This is a classic adventure movie, which happens to be ultra violent and set in a very, very different time and place.

In the last half hour I went from unsure to enjoying it, and in the last five minutes I loved it. I'm still not sure what I think of the movie overall.

A lot of stylistic decisions worked against what it was trying to be. Lots of the cliched words of the cinematic language were tossed around. The slow motion shots, the dramatic glances... a lot of really cliched stuff that threw me off. I feel like if they re-cut it, and lost 45 minutes, it could be great.

The way it's currently marketed, it won't be popular. They need to market it was what it is - an ultra violent movie that does in fact have a story.

I'm not sure it would be popular no matter how good it is, considering that Mel Gibson is a walking joke.

I agree with Evan... I've seen a few movies where people booed the trailer and even laughed out loud when Mel Gibson's name flashed on the screen. He has really screwed up his career.

Meh. I don't care about popular news enough to know more than "Mel Gibson is anti-semetic." People were joking about him in line, but I think most film people just sort of ignore all that.

I don't think you even have to know more. I generally make a point to separate the film from the personal life of the director but when Mel is so up-front about his absurd views it makes the film laughable (well, it was already, at least from the trailers. awful CG).

The actual film _appeared_ to have no CG. Those trailers are terrible. They'll be the downfall of the movie.

After all the name of the movie is
MEL GIBSONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
apocalypto

come on, you guys...
gibson apologized already, give him a break
I believe that gibson was a idiot when he said "ALL jews are responsable". But the guys in power are...
the israeli government is rulled by fascist pigs: look what they did to palestine.They forgot the holocaust and went killing innocent civilians. The palestinian response is also discusting but they were desperate. What would you do if israel invaded your country?
Just like Kazan i say...Judge the work not the man. He´s a fantastic director.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Fellini77,

The premise of this movie is that Mayan civilization collapsed.
That never happened! Mayans are still around. Go to Chiapas, or Guatamela.
Mel Gibson is a drunk idiot.
If I want to see Mayans (or tai chi astronauts)I'd rather see "The Fountain."

I'm eager to see Apocalypto, but I'm drawing the line at watching Michael Richards' new historical epic.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeffrey Mitchell:
The premise of this movie is that Mayan civilization collapsed.
That never happened! Mayans are still around. Go to Chiapas, or Guatamela.

Yah but their civilization did crumble. Now they're just poor indians. I'm 50 % 'mayan'. Can't wait to see this one.

And you guys shouldn't judge a movie by its trailer! Trailers are lame. Ya Mel Gibson is an arrogant bastard but atleast he's honest about it, and confronts it. The media made it a bigger deal than it was, just like everything else and people ate it up. He was drunk off his ass, said some stupid sh*t to push peoples buttons intentionally cuz he was wasted and pissed. I've done it before, so what. Get over it. I personally can't stay mad at the guy. He's Mad Max! Plus he just seems like a cool dude all bs aside.

On a related note, I'm 21 today so I'm gon go buy a 12 pack of Arrogant Bastards and get plastered on my way to class.

speaking of the trailer to apocalypto, did u guys see the totally random frame of mel with a beard hugging a couple of Indians? very, very random. but yeah.. i still want to see this film

quote:

I believe that gibson was a idiot when he said "ALL jews are responsable". But the guys in power are...

I really can't believe this. So much for 'tolerance' on your side of the pond, huh? Maybe the next Holocaust won't start in Germany.

And IMO, Mel Gibson seems like a dumb, drunk fanatic, but that's just me.

You're right. The Mayan civilization is actually peaking now, in fall 2006, just in time for the release of this film. And the moon landing was shot in a sound stage, and the Holocaust was a Zionist piece of propaganda, and 9/11 was actually a large-scale effects test for Michael Bay, funded by Disney. And it was really the natives who sailed to Genoa and 'discovered' Columbus, not the other way around. And the extinction of the dinosaurs never took place.

I have a velociraptor in my backyard. I'm serious.

Hahah. This thread sure derailed.

Let me just say - as filmmakers, it's worth seeing the movie. It stands up to critique well. We all had a good long argument outside the theater, but no one out-right hated it. It withstood our discussion.

Then, after everyone left and we were still standing there talking about it, they brought the big octagonal red box with the print down and set it down in the lobby and left it there. We were so tempted. So tempted. But we feared that stealing it might effect our enrollment in some way. "NYU film students steal Apocalypto print - Gibson vows vengeance."

all great artists were a little bit crazy. For example, Both Wagner and Nietszche had sympathy
for totalitarism principles.Mel is a talent looney.
Evan, genocide happened many times in history: In hiroshima, Rhuanda, Iraq, Poland, Palestine, NYC...The jews arent the only martyrs.
I despise all responsable.

Genocide took place in NY? When? Do you know what genocide is?

My point is simply that it's more than a little unsettling to hear (even qualified) statements like 'the Jews are responsible for...', especially coming out of Europe, the birthplace of fascism and ground zero for much, if not all, of the anti-Semitism that has existed through history.

Think carefully about your own views and how you are reducing people to overly general categories, and how neatly (or not) this jibes with the self-awarded descriptor of 'European liberalism.'

I assume he's referring to 9/11, and yes, if you go by the dictionary (the deliberate killing of a large number of people, esp. those of a particular ethnic group or nation. OAD), that was genocide. But please folks, let's not start a political argument here. Been there, done that.

Apocalypto at least appears to be a daring take on a tired genre. I'm sure there are some here who think that the action film shouldn't even exist, but this appears to be an excellent example of one. I'm cautiously looking forward to it. Passion of the Christ was one of the worst films I saw in 2004 but I'll give this one a shot. Perhaps it will have a point.

It's very memorable. I'm still not sure if I liked it. It was flawed, but very striking. Nothing EVER felt unbelievable, even when it was absurdly violent. The end is fantastic.

quote:

Originally posted by Evan Kubota:

Think carefully about your own views and how you are reducing people to overly general categories

Sort of like when you said this Kaboink:

Quote from Kablota when addressing a young girl who was venting about her production troubles:

"I almost hate to say this, but if you really are a girl, now it all makes sense.

- the excessive delegation of power to a bunch of unimportant staff
- the drama
- the implicit avoidance of technical elements
- collectivism
- reliance on others

This type of crap is why many people have the perception that females are less suited to directing."

From the thread: http://forums.studentfilms.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/14860...631004973#3631004973

Here comes the best part instead of apologizing he'll come up with some nonsense, hey maybe he'll tell us he was drunk, worked for Mel.