The Big Picture: Stone Soup
- Thread starter MovieBob
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hehe, i kinda wanna go back an play an old Mega Man now :3.
but ... the really interesting part is a week away ? :< aww...
but ... the really interesting part is a week away ? :< aww...
When I think of The Flintstones, I think of 3 things:
1.) I think of how often I'd watch it as a kid, even though I NEVER paid attention to the actual plots of each episode.
2.) I think of how it's one of the few animated Prime Time shows that lasted longer than 2 season, aside from The Simpsons and another obscure animated show.
3.) I think of how Doug Walker doesn't like The Flintstones, because of how lame and unfunny it is.
1.) I think of how often I'd watch it as a kid, even though I NEVER paid attention to the actual plots of each episode.
2.) I think of how it's one of the few animated Prime Time shows that lasted longer than 2 season, aside from The Simpsons and another obscure animated show.
3.) I think of how Doug Walker doesn't like The Flintstones, because of how lame and unfunny it is.
Speaking of shoddy criticism. I've seen quite a disturbingly high amount of movie reviews, Metacritic'ed movie reviews, that started with "I couldn't stand trough more than 15 minutes of this, therefore, I give it a zero". While I would understand that in the case of obviously bad movies, I've seen such reviews of things that weren't that bad actually. I think Melancholia was one.
This type of behavior really bugs me, since my current job requires me to review video games. Often horrible video games, and I make sure to play them properly, at least once, to make sure that when I review it, I actually know what I'm talking about.
This type of behavior really bugs me, since my current job requires me to review video games. Often horrible video games, and I make sure to play them properly, at least once, to make sure that when I review it, I actually know what I'm talking about.
Wait, I thought you hated The Flintstones. Or at least thought it was overrated because "what kid wants to watch a show about a middle aged man with middle aged problems that isn't even that funny?". I could have sworn it was MovieBob who said that, I'm starting to get my Internet critics mixed up :-S
Now that I think about it, The Flinstones isn't too far removed from the family sitcom schtick that MacFarlane has milked (excessively IMO) with Family Guy, American Dad and Cleveland. It'll be interesting to see whether or not MacFarlane manages to completely fuck it up.MatParker116 said:
*Cringes* Oooh, I know what's coming next week. Ah, the Flintstones spin offs. It may be the Nostalgia Goggles speaking, but I'm pretty sure that anything beisdes The Flintstones Kids are crap, and the only reason I don't think The Flintstones Kids is crap is because of the Captain Caveman shorts every episode.
When he said "plot formula," who here immediately thought of Detective Conan/Case Closed? Seriously, entire episodes were written like a Madlib:
RAN: So you were all in the [activity usually associated with European upper class] at university
[FEMALE CHARACTER WHO INVITED THEM AND IS THE ONLY ONE INNOCENT OF ALL OF THEM]: Yes, until [Dead Girlfriend/Boyfriend of the KILLER] passed/killed him/herself.
[VICTIM 1 AND THE ROOT CAUSE OF SAID-GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND"S DEATH, Yelling]: All you shut up, I don't want to talk about him/her. I'm going to grab a smoke/take a bath. [Exit's for a few hours only to be found dead later...]
RAN: So you were all in the [activity usually associated with European upper class] at university
[FEMALE CHARACTER WHO INVITED THEM AND IS THE ONLY ONE INNOCENT OF ALL OF THEM]: Yes, until [Dead Girlfriend/Boyfriend of the KILLER] passed/killed him/herself.
[VICTIM 1 AND THE ROOT CAUSE OF SAID-GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND"S DEATH, Yelling]: All you shut up, I don't want to talk about him/her. I'm going to grab a smoke/take a bath. [Exit's for a few hours only to be found dead later...]
That's probably going to be his biggest hurdle. That formula that Bob spoke so highly of the show's ability to work with has also been run completely into the ground by the four shows Fox has already wrung out of it. Maybe five, if you think Bob's Burgers counts.Urh said:
It's okay to follow formula if the rest of the elements in the film is good enough to cover it up, Avengers had fun characters and well done action sequences to distract you, Flintstones had sight gags but when a movie fails to deliver anything beyond it's formula, then the formulaic criticism can be applied, Speedy Buggy is just a crappy reimagining of Scooby Doo that never added anything new, I that case saying "It's just the Scooby Doo formula" works.
That's the beauty of having a formula. It can be rebuilt with the basics that worked and be ehnanced to have it's own appeal.Steve the Pocket said:
It's much like a choclate chip cookie, you know the basics for making it, how it works etc. If a cookie is poorly made, it's a bad cookie, if a cookie is greatly made, it's a bitching cookie. No one is ever going to say cookies are bad, unless they just hate cookies. People will just say that particular cookie is bad, and wish for a good cookie. That applies to Fox sitcoms.
Fox seems to bake up some bad cookies. They take a basic formula and use the cheapest/worst materials to make some horrible shows. That's why I don't watch Family guy anymore, it's much like those famous Amos cookies you get at the store, sure they are great for a bit, but keep eating them and you realize how cruddy they taste and wish your Granmother is still alive to bake cookies.
Now I want cookies.
So then, would do you think of the idea of using generic elements to tell stories that said elements have never told before?
For example, the big project I've been working on for the past twelve years is a fantasy world that features all the generic fantasy elements (elves, dwarves, wizards, fairies, yadda yadda yadda), but instead of telling Tolkien-esque stories about to find magic items and defeat dark lords, it's all boiled down to small stories that focus on individual characters trying to go about their daily lives. While I'm still at the moment doing world building with some of the stories I have written, my intent is to increasingly focus on the more "common" people of the world as an attempt to explore the realm of normal people in an epic fantasy world.
IE, what would life be like for most of us if we lived in a world with elves and dwarves and magic.
For example, the big project I've been working on for the past twelve years is a fantasy world that features all the generic fantasy elements (elves, dwarves, wizards, fairies, yadda yadda yadda), but instead of telling Tolkien-esque stories about to find magic items and defeat dark lords, it's all boiled down to small stories that focus on individual characters trying to go about their daily lives. While I'm still at the moment doing world building with some of the stories I have written, my intent is to increasingly focus on the more "common" people of the world as an attempt to explore the realm of normal people in an epic fantasy world.
IE, what would life be like for most of us if we lived in a world with elves and dwarves and magic.
