Lounge of Tomorrow - Miscellaneous Movie Musings

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- - Miscellaneous Movie Musings (http://74.208.121.111/LoT/showthread.php?t=3573)

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

And me? I couldn't even enjoy the DaVinci Code. Right away, there was the real Louvre! I mean, c'mon, couldn't they have made up some fictional museum??? Totally wrecked it for me. God knows how much The Louvre paid for that product placement. It was all over the film. Gak, the movie started there, ended there. Bleh.

Why did they have to use the actual Westminster Abbey? Totally took me out of the story.

And what's up with using "Catholicism?" A made-up religion would have been much better. How much do you suppose The Pope paid for that?!?!

Bwahahahaha :cheers: :iSm:

Again, I haven't seen the movie, so I can't be authoritative...but iSm, what is unique about FedEx that requires it to specifically be FedEx? What does it add to know that his characted is a manager at FedEx rather than another worldwide shipping company? What does "Manager at FedEx" connotate to a viewer that "manager at a worldwide shipping company" does not?

The Louvre, Westminster Abbey, Catholocism are unique entities. There is no generic for those. Saying "The Louvre" brings up specific information in a viewer's mind that "A museum" or even "A major museum" cannot. FedEx? vs. UPS vs. DHL? I'm not seeing it. A wordlwide shipping company is a worldwide shipping company is a worldwide shipping company.

I think his point was not that it could not be UPS or DHL instead of Fed Ex, but rather why use a made up company.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zapppop

I think his point was not that it could not be UPS or DHL instead of Fed Ex, but rather why use a made up company.

His point is that since it could be UPS or DHL or whatever, then using FedEx jumps out at him as "FedEx offered the most money", NOT "Using FedEx was a creative decission".

Steve says ( and I quote as he talks while I type )

" They paid Fed Ex. Fed Ex did not pay them. "

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Why did they have to use the actual Westminster Abbey? Totally took me out of the story.

Actually, they were forbidden from filming at Westminster Abbey. Another location was substituted. Link.

Well, I just checked the running commentary for Cast Away, and no one paid anyone else in connection with FedEx being chosen as the real delivery company. The filmmakers wanted a real company, they asked FedEx, and FedEx said 'yes.'

(heheh, in discussing why he wanted a real company, Zemeckis also uses the laughably bad example of TransGlobal Airlines. Great minds think alike.)

And yes, the DaVinci Code used only the exterior of the real Westminster Abbey. Apparently, the Abbey didn't mean Ron Howard's price for featuring the inside. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I can accuse it of selling out.

Then I'm a sell out. I'd rather have more money to put quality workmanship on the screen by allowing coke cans to be seen as props. :confused:

The odd thing is that we basically agree. If the camera is FOCUSED on the product, blatantly showing it off, then yes, that is selling out, taking me out of the movie, and wrecking the story/art in order to make money.

What GD said about Pulp Fiction. Although I wouldn't have had a problem with Kahuna being McDonalds. Who cares? What if there was coincidentally a "Kahuna Burger" somewhere in the world (which there probably is), and they actually get amazing business due to that? So what? It's not about the name, it's about the acting/writing/directing/staging.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC

If a man has a burger in his fist, NA, that had a crumpled up wrapper that we don't see, that doesn't distract from anything. A wrapper that says 'Quarter Pounder' that is deliberately placed to be seen by the camera totally bugs. The blatant product placement makes things more disingenuous to me.

See, we do agree. You used the words "blatant" and "deliberately".

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Now if someone passes the golden arches 12 times while driving a mile.....that gets a bit silly.

But if someone passes one Starbucks they better go past 4 or 5 more in that mile ;)

DC apparently has more Starbucks per capita than Washington State does. I blame the eastern half of the state. Wendybeth isn't drinking her share.

None of which has anything to do with movies.

um....

Oh! I'd better see the second X-Men movie (which BT took his siblings to and not me!) before number three comes out. Yay summer popcorn flicks!