Super Mario Bros: The Movie: The Thread

[Dennis196492]

Ironically it was the directors that came up with the whole paralel universe cyberpunk thing, and after they left production the whole team had to deal with the fact that the film didn't had one finished scene. In recent interviews they admited that they were way over their heads, and made the project more ambitious than it really needed to be.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

I've read that the coverage wasn't there to make the thing make sense, and that the production started shooting a lot of second/third unit inserts to complete scenes. Watching it I think it makes the most sense if you're not paying attention to what the actors are doing and saying. I wonder if this is due to the directors being fired, and other hands taking over to complete the piece, or if they genuinely weren't shooting proper coverage - which is something that does happen with inexperienced directors.

I wonder if they just had their own ideas for how these scenes would cut together which didn't involve a lot of cutting and coverage in the places the producers would want. Wide shots and so on. Impossible to say now, but the interviews tell of a lack of attention to the actors, and much more attention paid to insert shots and visual details.

That awful animated dinosaur prologue, for example, seems to have been included because without it, the whole dinosaur thing is awkwardly introduced in a rambling, wide-shot Dennis Hopper monologue. There are consequences to a certain lack of direction and script focus.

By contrast, what I've read of the early Tom Parker/ Jim Jennewein fantasy script actually has a wit to it, and characters, and is a movie. Though possibly too cartoony for 1992.

[Dennis196492]

To me it feels like a Wizard of Oz knock-off, which could be the reason no one wanted to do it. but yeah, pretty much this.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

I've moved some of these posts (to The Dissection Room thread) because it's too easy to criticize this film and I don't want to be graffiti-ing over the great work that Steven Applebaum and company have done. The interviews were very interesting to read, the comic is great, the upcoming Blu-Ray is a real achievement ...

Boy, wouldn't it be something to have an organized website for The Thief like that? There's so many things I just don't have the time for. I need an army.

The SMB sequel comic is coming to a close after chapter 3, sadly, due to lack of funding. I wonder if there's anything that can be done about that. But producing a comic is expensive of course, and with cult films you're counting on a core group of people who don't have infinite funds.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Rifftrax

[Redstar]

I have no idea how I missed the above discussion. At least I can say that I have nothing to add. Both of your assessments are fairly accurate.

It is only very recently that I've come to realize just how bad the acting and cinematography is in some parts of the film. It's all very basic. I certainly love what they did with concept, set design and creatures, but it's difficult to watch the narrative unless you're with friends or a packed theater.

[Dennis196492]

It's not that bad, though. Although I disagree on the narrative part. I don't know what drove me to do it, but I watched this film a dozen times paying attention to the storyline then later reading a draft of the screenplay, until I eventually came to the conclusion that the film doesn't has problems on the narrative, other than a few loose ends that are better explored in earlier drafts, usually people say that only the movie counts, but the movie on it's own already stands well on it's own narrative-wise, like Mark Goldblatt (The Film's Editor) said: "it is a film you work with it" yet most people that enjoy it just roll with the movie like a bunch of stuff doesn't make sense like they're watching schlock when it really isn't, hence the occasionally stupid - but coherent mess.

But that was just me being obscessed with the movie, I don't reccomend anyone doing the kind of stuff I did just to prove aaalll the people that took a shit on this movie that they're wrong and stop that word of mouth thing that says that this film is bad and you should think so.

[Redstar]

By the way, the latest page is up. I'm very proud of all the artistic details and the narrative importance of this scene, so I hope that everyone appreciates it.

We update every week (usually between Wednesday and Friday) in case anyone wants to discuss each time.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

You ought to be proud.

Really getting the attention of the internet can be difficult.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/ap ... skins-dies