• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

Flight

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Flight was a difficult movie to watch for me. Part of it was that I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be at first. (In the end, it seemed almost to be an expensive ad for Alcoholics Anonymous.)

But I think also that one's reaction would change based on one's personal experience with alcholism and alcoholics. It just brought back too many memories of me dealing with my dad.

"Whip" Whittaker is the senior pilot on a passenger flight ...

 
Last edited:

The Ü™

Permabanned
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
11,910
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
My biggest complaint was the out-of-place Budweiser product placement, which wouldn't normally bother me, except...what kind of hardcore boozer like Denzel's character gets his alcohol fix with canned water made for 12-year-olds trying to look cool by believing they're drinking real beer? Just seemed out-of-place to me.

I've said before that it's nice to see Robert Zemeckis return to the land of live-action filmmaking, but the more I think about it, Flight could've been Zemeckis' most interesting performance capture piece yet.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
My biggest complaint was the out-of-place Budweiser product placement, which wouldn't normally bother me, except...what kind of hardcore boozer like Denzel's character gets his alcohol fix with canned water made for 12-year-olds trying to look cool by believing they're drinking real beer? Just seemed out-of-place to me.

Yeah. Anyway... serious criticism besides the beer/Coke endorsements?

I've said before that it's nice to see Robert Zemeckis return to the land of live-action filmmaking, but the more I think about it, Flight could've been Zemeckis' most interesting performance capture piece yet.

It was an interesting movie, I'm not sure yet how I'd scale it on Zemeckis' career card. It definitely was one of the most realistic of his movies. I liked What Lies Beneath better in some ways, but that was definitely a "stylized" movie; same thing with "Contact," I felt like it was dramatically shaped to be a particular kind of story; and meanwhile I felt like "Flight" was much more just a retelling of the facts of the story, with a realistic performance by Washington.

The plane flight was pretty harrowing, especially watching the service staff bounce around inside the aircraft.

Also liked the cancer guy in the hospital.
 

The Ü™

Permabanned
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
11,910
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
It was an interesting movie, I'm not sure yet how I'd scale it on Zemeckis' career card. It definitely was one of the most realistic of his movies. I liked What Lies Beneath better in some ways, but that was definitely a "stylized" movie; same thing with "Contact," I felt like it was dramatically shaped to be a particular kind of story; and meanwhile I felt like "Flight" was much more just a retelling of the facts of the story, with a realistic performance by Washington.

The plane flight was pretty harrowing, especially watching the service staff bounce around inside the aircraft.

Also liked the cancer guy in the hospital.

One thing I love about Robert Zemeckis movies is playing a game I call "Spot the CG Shot." He's known for using a great number of invisible effects in odd places.

There was one shot in Contact (one of my favorite movies, BTW) where Jodie Foster runs from the location exterior into a laboratory that was a set on a separate location. They shot the elements separately and then morphed it into one shot. (There's a similar shot in Flight where the camera zooms to Denzel's eyes and he morphs to be in a different location, which is the very next scene. I love those kinds of shots.)

As for the other invisible effects in Flight, I mainly noticed the CG exterior shots of the airport with CG rain (not the most successful shot), but I begin to wonder about a lot of the night shots and if they were actually shot in the day.

The unique thing about Zemeckis is that he's essentially a special effects geek but he is also very subtle about it. That's what makes his movies fun to watch.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
One thing I love about Robert Zemeckis movies is playing a game I call "Spot the CG Shot." He's known for using a great number of invisible effects in odd places.

There was one shot in Contact (one of my favorite movies, BTW) where Jodie Foster runs from the location exterior into a laboratory that was a set on a separate location. They shot the elements separately and then morphed it into one shot. (There's a similar shot in Flight where the camera zooms to Denzel's eyes and he morphs to be in a different location, which is the very next scene. I love those kinds of shots.)

As for the other invisible effects in Flight, I mainly noticed the CG exterior shots of the airport with CG rain (not the most successful shot), but I begin to wonder about a lot of the night shots and if they were actually shot in the day.

The unique thing about Zemeckis is that he's essentially a special effects geek but he is also very subtle about it. That's what makes his movies fun to watch.

I agree with that assessment, he's not trying to make a spectacle of himself.

I'm not sure how I feel about the Contact shot, because it was pretty amazing (he had me fooled the whole way until she opens the mirror... the image captured within then which beautifully comes to rest on a picture of her and her dad on a shelf). The only problem with it is that getting one-upped like that pulled me out of the movie briefly, because I realized the shot wasn't real. But overall I think Zemeckis uses special effects to do realistic things / contribute to story, not really trying to make a spectacle.
 

The Ü™

Permabanned
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
11,910
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
If I hadn't seen the movie before the Oscars, I probably would've been pissed about the clip they showed of Denzel Washington's performance at the Oscars, which was practically the ending.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
If I hadn't seen the movie before the Oscars, I probably would've been pissed about the clip they showed of Denzel Washington's performance at the Oscars, which was practically the ending.

I heard it was done with sock puppets.
 

Poindexter Arachnid

Permabanned
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
1,232
MBTI Type
ISTP
If I hadn't seen the movie before the Oscars, I probably would've been pissed about the clip they showed of Denzel Washington's performance at the Oscars, which was practically the ending.

That did make me angry, actually. When the hearing came on, I pretty much knew what to expect.
They should have shown the cocaine-fueled hotel scene with John Goodman. That was freakin' class.

Speaking of Oscar clips, I predicted the Zero Dark Thirty "ACTING!" showcase from Jessica Chastain.
I just knew this was going to be the moment they would show when I saw that movie.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
They should have shown the cocaine-fueled hotel scene with John Goodman. That was freakin' class.

That cracked me up too... especially how he kept telling the others guys to screw off and stay out of his way. (Faint overtones of his psycho guy from Lebowski, there...)
 

The Ü™

Permabanned
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
11,910
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
That cracked me up too... especially how he kept telling the others guys to screw off and stay out of his way. (Faint overtones of his psycho guy from Lebowski, there...)

John Goodman should've gotten a nod for Best Supporting Actor.
 

Poindexter Arachnid

Permabanned
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
1,232
MBTI Type
ISTP
John Goodman should've gotten a nod for Best Supporting Actor.

Sadly, he wasn't in the movie enough. About 10 minutes total. But he definitely should have replaced De Niro in that category--Bobby hasn't been "good" since the early 90s. Once he started on with the "Fockers" franchise, his career was over in my book.

Speaking of John Goodman: He is one of my favorite character actors and his presence in any movie instantly makes it 1000x better (especially if it is crap). He is a criminally underrated actor.
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
7,312
MBTI Type
INTJ
Sadly, he wasn't in the movie enough. About 10 minutes total. But he definitely should have replaced De Niro in that category--Bobby hasn't been "good" since the early 90s. Once he started on with the "Fockers" franchise, his career was over in my book.

Speaking of John Goodman: He is one of my favorite character actors and his presence in any movie instantly makes it 1000x better (especially if it is crap). He is a criminally underrated actor.

I don't know, I thought DeNiro was the best he'd been in years in that movie. No mugging and no DeNiro-isms.

Goodman's screen time was plenty (Judi Dench won an Oscar for 8 minutes of screen time in Shakespeare In Love), I just think that the Academy underrated the movie, which I thought was very good. Plus, it was a comedic role, which the Academy has open disdain for.
 

The Ü™

Permabanned
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
11,910
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Sadly, he wasn't in the movie enough. About 10 minutes total. But he definitely should have replaced De Niro in that category--Bobby hasn't been "good" since the early 90s. Once he started on with the "Fockers" franchise, his career was over in my book.

Speaking of John Goodman: He is one of my favorite character actors and his presence in any movie instantly makes it 1000x better (especially if it is crap). He is a criminally underrated actor.

Sometimes, supporting actors are in the movies for about a minute and still get Oscar nods.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Goodman's screen time was plenty (Judi Dench won an Oscar for 8 minutes of screen time in Shakespeare In Love), I just think that the Academy underrated the movie, which I thought was very good. Plus, it was a comedic role, which the Academy has open disdain for.

Well, the big exception to that rule is Kevin Kline's Oscar as Otto in "A Fish Called Wanda," but it might have proved the rule -- I remember being shocked that he won.

he also kind of dominated that movie, for being a supporting actor. Lol.
 

SD45T-2

Senior Jr.
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Messages
4,229
MBTI Type
ESTJ
Enneagram
1w2
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
Also liked the cancer guy in the hospital.
James Badge Dale. "My cancer might get cancer." :D

I saw it in the theater a few weeks after it came out and thought it was quite good. I wondered if Washington would get an Oscar nomination, and I was glad that he did.
 

Poindexter Arachnid

Permabanned
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
1,232
MBTI Type
ISTP
Sometimes, supporting actors are in the movies for about a minute and still get Oscar nods.

It's always high profile actors (or "stunt" casting) when this occurs.
John Goodman is (as mentioned) a criminally underrated character actor.

Doesn't have leading man looks and isn't an influential force in the biz.
No way would he get a nod for Flight, sadly. Way it goes.

Hollywood is all politics, don'cha know?
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,187
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I agree about Goodman.
He's, well, really good.

Which says a lot, since he didn't coast there on other attributes. He HAD to be good.
 
W

WALMART

Guest
My biggest complaint was the out-of-place Budweiser product placement, which wouldn't normally bother me, except...what kind of hardcore boozer like Denzel's character gets his alcohol fix with canned water made for 12-year-olds trying to look cool by believing they're drinking real beer? Just seemed out-of-place to me.

I've said before that it's nice to see Robert Zemeckis return to the land of live-action filmmaking, but the more I think about it, Flight could've been Zemeckis' most interesting performance capture piece yet.


Only 12 years that drink beer to look cool complain about people drinking Budweiser to look cool :D


It's simply the best tasting budget beer out there, hands down.



OP - never heard of the film.
 
Top