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Post by Strangely on Jul 15, 2011 17:23:09 GMT -5
I don't know much about movies, but wouldn't the aggressiveness in Klaus's character that some of you have been complaining about be the fault of the writing and direction rather than Liam Aiken? It depends, lines can be acted out many different ways. Like when discussing VFD Klaus can get a little too defensive, when really the lines call for a more inquisitive and curious delivery. During the TWW segment, when Violet's inventing, Klaus' questioning seems a bit harsh when really the line could be delivered with fearfulness rather than distrust. Direction may have been a part of it, but I can't help but notice in a lot of Liam Aiken's roles he comes off a bit hard. I mean in the books Klaus was sometimes defensive but mostly he was pretty nice, even when angry he came off more sad than anything else.
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Post by Lady Whatever on Jul 16, 2011 1:51:01 GMT -5
Liked: Colleen Atwood's costuming The lighting schemes and cinematography The cameo silhouettes of the parents The excellent use of make up for Mr. Poe and Count Olaf
Disliked/Was not wowed by: Sunny's insipid subtitles Carrey's hamminess The condensing of the three books The choppy altercations to the storyline The general dumbing-down which occurred in the script, though it was still more mature than most films in that demographic
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Post by Strangely on Jul 16, 2011 19:15:53 GMT -5
I agree about the subtitles, that was a little tiresome. Sadly though I'm not sure if there's any better way to do it. What especially bummed me out about the subtitles is that Sunny didn't really feel like a part of the conversation. I mean in the books it always felt like everyone was there in the conversation, as if Sunny was speaking normally, but in the movie it seemed like Violet and Klaus were talking while Sunny was just jabbering in the background, most times it almost seemed like they weren't listening too well. Looking back Sunny in general was a disappointment, I mean she just seemed like an average baby a lot of the time, most of her biting was done off screen and in many scenes she was just there doing nothing, she really lacked the intelligence and cleverness of her book counterpart (I think they relied on the cute factor a little too much). I mean I appreciate the good acting they were able to get from such a young child but I can't help but think they might have done better if they had cast her a bit older.
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Post by Dante on Jul 17, 2011 1:59:43 GMT -5
To be fair, Sunny was basically a McGuffin in the original TBB, and only bit maybe one plot-relevant thing in TRR and TWW. She only really equalled her siblings by TBB. Still, I see your point about her seeming outside of things in the movie. I remember fans suggesting that maybe she could be done in CGI, which would depend less upon acting babies... although for later books they could just hire slightly older infants and it wouldn't really deviate from the plot of the books at all.
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Post by Invisible on Jul 17, 2011 6:17:56 GMT -5
^^My mum, her boyfriend and I were talking about MacGuffins just last night. What a coincidence.
I agree about Sunny. She was cute and, I admit, some of the subtitles were funny, but she was just a baby in the film. In the books, Sunny is like no other baby, but she was in the film. It's just sort of...blah.
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Post by colette on Jul 17, 2011 6:26:49 GMT -5
I liked all three Baudelaires in books but in the movie I liked only Sunny. Violet and Klaus annoyed me in the movie. In the book Klaus seemed to be a nice kid but in the movie he seemed to be a depressing aggressive teenager. I also didn't like Violet.
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Post by Strangely on Jul 18, 2011 10:26:49 GMT -5
Yeah Klaus annoyed me to some degree, he just wasn't the nice book-worm from the books, I think it was the result of being older in the movie than he was in the book. I really liked Violet's portrayal a lot, however I'm disappointed that they changed the ending to TBB, I mean the grappling hook and the left handed thing was brilliant and really cemented the strength and cleverness of the character in the book, but by not having her do that in the movie her character seemed less defined. At least the kids looked the part, even if they didn't quite live up to everyone's image of what they expected.
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Post by colette on Jul 18, 2011 10:46:34 GMT -5
Especially he annoyed when he tried to leave Count Olaf's house from the window.In my opinion they should choose a younger for his portrayal. I guess Klaus should be nicer than Violet.
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Post by rossvanderh on Jul 18, 2011 14:52:44 GMT -5
So far from the book, very few positives for me
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Post by colette on Aug 26, 2011 0:37:10 GMT -5
So far from the book, very few positives for me And for me, too
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Post by beack on Aug 26, 2011 8:35:56 GMT -5
Have to disagree with you guys on that. Without a few changes the film would have been a complete bore (no, I do not like the Chris Colombus Harry Potter films). Daniel Handler wanted the film to make changes from the books (check out the remains of his draft of the screenplay). It's really about keeping the tone of the books and have the characters still sound and act like themselves (which the film didn't).
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Post by Strangely on Aug 26, 2011 12:29:04 GMT -5
I don't mind changes, they are usually necessary for adaptations (Because let's face it books and movies are two different things and what you can get away with in one you can't in the other), I just think keeping the characters more like they were in the books really would have cemented their performances.
The one change I really loved was the train sequence, I could almost believe something like that happening in the books. Bravo movie people for adding in a plot point that wasn't trashy and out of character (Some book/movie adaptations add in really bad plot points that don't help, but this was actually a sequence that helped the movie)! I think its probably my favorite scene from the movie.
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Post by andressa on Aug 26, 2011 18:32:33 GMT -5
I dislike Liam Aiken aswell. Well, not so much his acting, but the fact that HE DIDN'T WEAR GLASSES! Which is the most striking thing about Klaus! Think about it, if they made a sequel, with TMM, how would they explain him going to the ophthalmologist so many times? How wou.d they brake his glasses, if he had none?
Oh, F.D wrote this. I " erase the square". Sorry.
Actually, in the beggining of the movie, when they say that no one could be better to test Violet' invents than her brother, he puts his glasses, so he had one, only didn't use it in the whole film, which was, of course, a bad point.
But I'm going to disagree wiht many of you.
Good point: I love Billy Connolly, Meryl Streep and Timothy Spall. They're perfect for the characters! I love how Emily, Liam and Shelby/Kara seems to be close and real siblings. I love the letter. Klaus asking if they're going to have a home again, and when they make a sanctuary. The mention of V.F.D when Klaus get the gold lunette in his father's desk ( yes, I've watched it SEVERAL times, I love it!) The little trailer, the one which Violet sid they're very concerned. The train scene. The end and the beggining of the movie.
Bad points: I don't hate Jim Carrey, but Count Olaf it's not that , how can I say, caricature and dramathic and forcedly funny. I love when Violet, Kalus and Sunny take off Olaf's disguise in TBB. Only what Sunny did was showed.In the movie Klaus and Violet were only passive. The left hand thing. When I finished reading chapter twelve I stoped breathing! I was oh my God! She married him! And then we saw how Violet is smart with the quick thought about the left hand.I also liked when the lights came out and waht hppened after. Now, CO shows how he is bad, and he sacred me. I remember that I thought the Baudelaire children were going to die in the end of the series.Fortunately, not. I want to see the Clow's restaurant and Violet thinking quickly again. Mr.Poe son's bothering the Buadelaire's would be cool to see too. Finally, I miss they researching in Justice Strauss's library.
But I think that they couldn't put all this aspects in the movie.
That's all, I think.
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Post by colette on Aug 26, 2011 23:57:02 GMT -5
I dislike Liam Aiken aswell. Well, not so much his acting, but the fact that HE DIDN'T WEAR GLASSES! Which is the most striking thing about Klaus! Think about it, if they made a sequel, with TMM, how would they explain him going to the ophthalmologist so many times? How wou.d they brake his glasses, if he had none? Oh, yes! I agree! I hoped to see Daniel Radcliffe as Klaus. I agree Yeah. I agree. Indeed. it annoyed me Yes, I really missed the left hand thing and I always prefered the book version of Marvelous Marriage. Yes. When I read the Penultimate Peril I had this thought I support you! I also missed all this aspects.
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Post by Dante on Aug 27, 2011 15:25:44 GMT -5
It did annoy me that, in the movie, Violet does technically marry Olaf. The destruction of the marriage certificate doesn't undo the marriage retroactively. Unless they also cited a law against forced marriages at the same time, which I doubt.
I've probably mentioned this before, but I agree that the train scene was a good addition. They needed to add something that could get the children away from Olaf without using up the Marvelous Marriage set-piece, which they were saving for the finale, and I think the train section had everything it needed to; it had a working and relatively plausible invention, it had a brilliant threat, it even included one of the few moments where Olaf was genuinely menacing.
I agree that changes aren't necessarily bad, although I think it depends on the circumstances; for an ASoUE movie or movie series they were always going to need to make changes, but with a movie per book for HP then there's not quite the same need for reshuffling and conflation. It's how the changes are carried out - whether they have purpose and need, or whether they seem to be change for change's sake. And also whether they're well-written, of course.
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