saw Scott Pilgrim vs The World last night (SPOILERS)

[greg]

I saw it last night with Undamned and his wife and I loved it. This movie is to video games what Kung Fu Hustle was to Looney Tunes cartoons. Very surreal. Very comic book-y as well as heavily video game influenced (Scott does a 64 hit aerial combo on the 1st Evil Boyfriend). It's definitely a movie that is refreshingly original and I hope to not see copycats of it. My main gripe with the movie is that it went a bit overboard with the gay stuff. It could have easily been a PG movie, but then again, I have never read the comics although I've seen them a lot at Borders and such. I've heard that the movie was very much in synch with the comics.

My other gripe was that according to the movie, since Knives was a Chinese girl in high school, somehow the relationship wasn't to be taken seriously. One half of that was the notion put forth that interracial relationships are somehow not as strong, and the other half of that was that she was 17. I can understand the 17 part, since there really is a huge difference between 18 and 19, let alone 17 and 23. I certainly wasn't interested in high school girls when I was 23.

SPOILER:OK, so am I the only one who think that Knives would've been the ultimate girlfriend? I'm no lolicon, but you have to admit that a Chinese girl in a Catholic private school uniform is pretty hot. Sure, she was immature, but so was Scott. They seemed to enjoy spending time together up until Scott fell in lust with Ramona. I just wasn't sold on Ramona being the true love of his life. He just lusted her. But really, in terms of looks, Knives has it hands-down, especially when she cut her hair short. Then again, maybe I'm partial to Asian girls, especially since I married one. At the very end it seemed like Scott would've ended up with Knives, but she let him go. I'd go for the innocent cute girl over the jaded all-too-experienced, been around the block too many times girl (as some would say, a "slut") any day. Cute wins over aloof in terms of longevity of appeal.

[xris]

Saw this earlier today, absolutely loved it. The video game homages were done really well. If you can't appreciate people bursting into change, you need a different hobby. There were a few things that were left a little vague, like Ramona being able to teleport through Scott's mind. The visual effects, maybe a little too abundant, but well done. Especially when the bands were playing. A little weird seeing so many of the sound effects up on screen. This was a really visual movie. The editing was really dope, but would be too jumpy for most people. I really did like the way it was done, especially the way it showed the mental fog that Scott was in after seeing Ramona. The best thing I can say about this movie was that it was funny, like honestly funny. Some of the jokes were great, in the way that you slightly twist and misinterpret words in real life. Sure, there were a ton of gay jokes, but it was handled well, only the homophobic would mind.
Yeah, Ramona was a total bitch, but you can tell that she cared about Scott. Fine for me, I dig bitchy chicks. Besides, Mary Elisabeth Winstead is one of the finest women on the planet!
I did enjoy all of the battles with the league of seven. Lol, super saiyan vegan. The movie was such an enjoyable watch. I can't wait to see it again. There are so many details, like the snow always melting under Ramona's feet, I'm sure there are things that I may have missed.
Yeah, I'm going to play the game for this just 'cause I enjoyed the movie so much. And, it does look pretty good.

[boagman]

Enjoy it while you can, I suppose...it positively *bombed* in theaters, barely scraping together over $10M this weekend, which is just a complete rejection by the American moviegoing public.

On the other hand, you should be able to see it quite soon at the cheapie theaters for a buck or two.

So the big question I have is this: is this due to Michael Cera overload, or to the movie concept of the graphic novel being poo-pooed by the public?

[Ed Oscuro]

Or did the public get a whiff of a cash-in (and off other people's work to boot)? Don't get me wrong...I have an irrational distrust of anything Scott Pilgrim. But it seemed to me (I know...) that the brawler they put out was just a flash game meant to be "RETROOOO" but just another forgettable, well, cash-in. Movie, can't say.

More seriously, messaging seems to be a problem. What is Scott Pilgrim? Why should anybody care? What does having a guitar make him that it doesn't make any of our neighbors? The public is generally pretty plot-driven: We watch Batman not because he has a cape and looks stony but because he has to fight the Joker. It's SERIOUS BUSINESS! Like Inception. Scott Pilgrim is perhaps too much of a send-up for the movie going public to embrace - fear of rejection perhaps? (You can never be too careful with this metafiction stuff.)

[Skykid]

I saw it last night with Undamned

Two questions:

1: Can you tell Undamned there's an ancient PM from me sitting in his inbox.

2: I don't want to read the spoilers but I just want to know if Mary Elizabeth Windstead goes full frontal?

Thanks.

[t0yrobo]

Or did the public get a whiff of a cash-in (and off other people's work to boot)? Don't get me wrong...I have an irrational distrust of anything Scott Pilgrim. But it seemed to me (I know...) that the brawler they put out was just a flash game meant to be "RETROOOO" but just another forgettable, well, cash-in. Movie, can't say.

I didn't even know the series existed before the movie trailer and I thought that shit was pandering so hard. Then I saw Michael Cera and lost any interest whatsoever. Maybe word of mouth will improve it's box office, but who knows. It was up against The Expendable, and Eat Pray Love, which are the sort of shitty movies that lots of people go see.

[xris]

Man, I wish Mary Elizabeth Winstead took it off. That's my number one pick for hottest chick ever. She looked a little goofy in a wig though. She's never really done any sexy roles. Your best bet is the movie Make It Happen, where she is a dancer that fails to get into a dance school, so she gets a job in a burlesque house. She does some sexy time dancing in it that's about it.
I think the movies target audience is just broke, we got video games and books to buy don't you know.

[Kiel]

Man, I wish Mary Elizabeth Winstead took it off. That's my number one pick for hottest chick ever. She looked a little goofy in a wig though. She's never really done any sexy roles. Your best bet is the movie Make It Happen, where she is a dancer that fails to get into a dance school, so she gets a job in a burlesque house. She does some sexy time dancing in it that's about it.

Hoping this is on netflix streaming

[undamned]

I saw it last night with Undamned

Two questions:

1: Can you tell Undamned there's an ancient PM from me sitting in his inbox.

2: I don't want to read the spoilers but I just want to know if Mary Elizabeth Windstead goes full frontal?

Thanks.

1. Lol, 4 days is ancient, huh? Don't worry, I'll get back to ya

2. She's naked in the entire film. That's why it's PG-13. I'm telling your wife that you want another/American woman.
-ud

[Minzoku]

Saw it for the second time today. Did anyone hear where they actually put the song "Scott Pilgrim" in there, or are they just listing it in the credits for the hell of it? Most I saw was Cera was wearing a Plumtree shirt at one point

[Warp_Rattler]

My other gripe was that according to the movie, since Knives was a Chinese girl in high school, somehow the relationship wasn't to be taken seriously. One half of that was the notion put forth that interracial relationships are somehow not as strong, and the other half of that was that she was 17. I can understand the 17 part, since there really is a huge difference between 18 and 19, let alone 17 and 23. I certainly wasn't interested in high school girls when I was 23.

You said it yourself why the relationship wasn't to be taken seriously--he's 23 and she's 17. It might not seem like it at the lower end of that spectrum, but I think everyone who's passed through both those ages with a scrap of honesty will agree that they are worlds apart in maturity (no matter how much the 17-year-old is 'mature for their age'). And that's really the main theme of Scott Pilgrim (the books at least; the movie's more at the pure fun end of things) once you strip away the goofy gags and video game references: growing up and learning what it means to be an adult once you're out of college.

As far as the interracial-bad thing, I found no textual support for that in either the books or the movie (and the "Is it okay for you to date outside of your race?" comment was Scott trying to weasel out of the relationship in the douchiest way he knew how). Besides, if Knives was as whitebread as the rest of the crew, the author couldn't very well give her a sword-wielding martial artist for a father without him coming off as some sort of goof MMA fanboy.

---

I picked up the first book earlier this summer after seeing various parts of the Internet whipped up to a frothing demand about various aspects of the movie, game, etc. (I'll admit that upon hearing that Anamanaguchi was providing the music for the game I was intrigued, as they're one of approximately two chiptune bands I enjoy). I didn't really know what to make of it at first--it was odd, and the character of Scott Pilgrim was just weird, like some sort of infinite distillation of an irresponsible slacker. It wasn't until I finished the final book just a few days ago that the whole thing really came together and I finally got the bigger picture, at which point I was pretty impressed. It's not high literature by any means, but it's really damn unique, and in a good way (I thought). I thought I'd get disgusted at the videogame and other nerdy jokes, thought it would be one of those things that is constantly elbowing you in the ribs with a wink wink nudge nudge see what I did there, aren't I so clever? sort of sensibility, but I was pleasantly surprised. And that's saying a lot, considering how tired I'm getting with the Internet's collective ability to ascribe quality to entertainment that's mediocre at best.

The movie was the most enjoyable non-serious/foreign/art film I've seen in a long time. It stood on its own fairly well, despite feeling a bit rushed, but it wasn't something like Watchmen where the whole thing would have been a travesty if it had been blasted through in a whirlwind hour and a half. I found myself a bit disappointed at the end not because of the movie itself, but because there were a lot of scenes from the book I would have liked to have seen done with the movie's particular aesthetic. The characters took a few minutes of getting used to--it's tough to seperate Michael Cera from Michael Cera in a role, and Winstead felt a little off for Ramona, but I was over that within 10 minutes or so. The whole thing felt like a very solid guilty pleasure, except I didn't feel guilty about it afterwards. It's definitely not for everyone, but I really had a good time with it.

It was up against The Expendable, and Eat Pray Love, which are the sort of shitty movies that lots of people go see.

With competition like this, I would think the movie would have done better. The Expendables I don't have any particular beef with, I guess, if a loving slowjerk to 1980's action films with every big star since then is your sort of film (I saw the trailer and wondered why nobody told me they made a bad Contra movie). Eat Pray Love, though, is an absolutely awful thing, a self-indulgent bit of wish fulfillment for female yuppie 40-somethings. Pretty much the same crowd that came to see Sex and the City 2, actually, all with their tacky costume jewelery and playing with their iPhone while placing a concession order and Oh Mai Gawd vacuous friends. I sell them their damned tickets and I just scowl.

[Minzoku]

Eat Pray Love, though, is an absolutely awful thing, a self-indulgent bit of wish fulfillment for female yuppie 40-somethings. Pretty much the same crowd that came to see Sex and the City 2, actually, all with their tacky costume jewelery and playing with their iPhone while placing a concession order and Oh Mai Gawd vacuous friends. I sell them their damned tickets and I just scowl.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lewis-Black/71196565222

(I hope that links correctly... besides that it's Facebook, I don't know if it goes straight to the video and/or if the video is still available...)

[Kiel]

Man, I wish Mary Elizabeth Winstead took it off. That's my number one pick for hottest chick ever. She looked a little goofy in a wig though. She's never really done any sexy roles. Your best bet is the movie Make It Happen, where she is a dancer that fails to get into a dance school, so she gets a job in a burlesque house. She does some sexy time dancing in it that's about it.

Hoping this is on netflix streaming

Watched it last night, she was looking really good.

[Acid King]

My other gripe was that according to the movie, since Knives was a Chinese girl in high school, somehow the relationship wasn't to be taken seriously. One half of that was the notion put forth that interracial relationships are somehow not as strong, and the other half of that was that she was 17. I can understand the 17 part, since there really is a huge difference between 18 and 19, let alone 17 and 23. I certainly wasn't interested in high school girls when I was 23.

I didn't pick up any anti-interracial vibes at all, more like Chinese girl in a catholic school outfit is stereotypical white guy wank material.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yeah, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is looking mighty fine in that Death Proof flick by Quentin Tarantino, especially in that cheerleader outfit.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Warp_Rattler]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lewis-Black/71196565222

(I hope that links correctly... besides that it's Facebook, I don't know if it goes straight to the video and/or if the video is still available...)

It links to the DVD ad page, but I found the video on the main Wall. Now I'm not going to be able to keep from giggling next time a fine example of California New Money comes to buy a ticket from me.

[undamned]

I thought I'd get disgusted at the videogame and other nerdy jokes, thought it would be one of those things that is constantly elbowing you in the ribs with a wink wink nudge nudge see what I did there, aren't I so clever? sort of sensibility, but I was pleasantly surprised.

No joke. I was really worried about the execution being poor, too.

For those of you who haven't checked out the game, or for those of you that wished that Paul Robertson actually created a playable game, check it out now.
-ud

[CMoon]

Just got back from seeing it. Definitely better than anything else its running up against right now. A little goofier than I prefer my movies, but the near-constant special effects kept the film interesting. Not saying this should be some sort of blockbuster, but it deserves some attention.

[Pirate1019]

I've never read the books, but the movie was pretty good. I won't say better than expected since I was on board at the first trailer, but I think it's getting more flak from naysayers than it really deserves.

[undamned]

Just watched this again with a bunch of friends last night. Like most people, I think when they first saw the previews they weren't really sure what to think of it. With a personal invite, 5 people who probably would have not gone to the theater to see this film were there with me and every one of them really liked it. I didn't notice much more the 2nd time around, just that it's still solid (albeit fairly heavy on the gay) and highly recommended for anyone that has enjoyed classic gaming at some point in their life.
-ud

[greg]

The movie did take a few jabs at Asians, especially the “Shut up, Kung Pao chicken” line. Scott was just being a d-bag asking Knives if it's okay to date outside her race to try to weasel his way out of the relationship and giving a reason to dump her, even though it's something that he should've thought of before they started going out.

Some of the gay gags were a bit overdone, like Scott walking into his apartment only to immediately cringe at a sight before him, etc. They could've toned that down. However, stuff like the guys' heads popping up to join the conversation when everyone's laying down was pretty hilarious.

That aside, his roommate is one of the coolest characters of the movie. Most movies portray gays as mincing queers with lisps, which I find as an offensive negative stereotype, especially when most gay guys are not like that. They do not identify with that stereotype and they resent that depiction thrust upon them. The roommate guy in the movie (forget the character's name) is shown as mature, full of advice, and full of witty comments. He's portrayed as an actual human being, not some flaming hairdresser who tries to act more like a woman than an actual woman does.

Spoony did a great review of the movie that made me appreciate the movie even more than I already did. Wired's Geekdad did an article on "Why you must see Scott Pilgrim." (Geekdad is an awesome blog... I'm a geek dad!) Movies like Scott Pilgrim need our support. We get crappy movies because that’s what’s safe and what sells. When people don’t go see movies like Scott Pilgrim in the theaters, we’re basically telling Hollywood that it’s not worth their effort to make decent movies that don’t insult our intelligence. Heck, it's by the guy who made Sean of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Need I say more?

Spoony pointed out in his review that you can watch the movie over and over again and focus one of the characters and just focus in on him/her just to study the movie. The characters are really brought to life, and interestingly enough, the alleged "goddess" Ramona is the least interesting character of the movie.

Knives Chau is really the best part of the movie. She's made to be awesome and her function in the story is to have her heart broken. The actress, Ellen Wong, totally steals the show.

[Warp_Rattler]

That aside, his roommate is one of the coolest characters of the movie. Most movies portray gays as mincing queers with lisps, which I find as an offensive negative stereotype, especially when most gay guys are not like that. They do not identify with that stereotype and they resent that depiction thrust upon them. The roommate guy in the movie (forget the character's name) is shown as mature, full of advice, and full of witty comments. He's portrayed as an actual human being, not some flaming hairdresser who tries to act more like a woman than an actual woman does.

I thought the treatment of Wallace in both the movie and the books was excellent. The books have him in a bit more of a Yoda-like wise advisor role, but both characters' blend of sarcasm, exasperation, and general concern for Scott's well-being really gave him a bit more depth than all the others, in my opinion. And yeah, definitely a much more positive spin than the usual movie portrayal of the 'gay best friend', something that won major points with me as a reader right there.

[Stormwatch]

It's weird, everyone says SPvTW is great, and perhaps it is... but the trailer was a massive turn-off. I can't relate to this Scott Pilgrim guy; I get no sense of who he is (except that he's a half-brained slacker), I get no reason why I should give a damn about him getting the girl, and I see no reason why he has to fight her "evil exes" to do so.

[Warp_Rattler]

If you're looking for those answers, read the books. The movie's just to entertain, and you won't find that sort of character or plot depth with it alone. It's just for fun, and has a really unique(ly nerdy) visual and aural aesthetic to it.

[Skykid]

1. Lol, 4 days is ancient, huh? Don't worry, I'll get back to ya

2. She's naked in the entire film. That's why it's PG-13. I'm telling your wife that you want another/American woman.
-ud

1: I'm still waiting.

2: I'm not married. DVD and a box of kleenex pre-ordered.

[CMoon]

I'm sure you know this, but #2 isn't true.

Edit: As discussed in the 'movies you just watched' thread, Quest for Fire has a young attractive girl naked the entire film. Check it out.

[xris]

I'd be a little embarassed to admit how many times I've watched Sky High. Just 'cause Mary Elizabeth Winstead is in a skirt, being evil, then kicks some ass in power armour!! Yeah, the movies okay, has a great cast. I'm glad to see that she is still willing to take sub-genre movie roles, now cast her in Zombieland 2! I'd probably pass out from joy to see her and Emma Stone in the same scene.
I think the producers of Scott Pilgrim see most of their profits coming from the DVD sales, we should expect a decent special edition.

[Daigohji]

That aside, his roommate is one of the coolest characters of the movie. Most movies portray gays as mincing queers with lisps, which I find as an offensive negative stereotype, especially when most gay guys are not like that. They do not identify with that stereotype and they resent that depiction thrust upon them. The roommate guy in the movie (forget the character's name) is shown as mature, full of advice, and full of witty comments. He's portrayed as an actual human being, not some flaming hairdresser who tries to act more like a woman than an actual woman does.

I thought the treatment of Wallace in both the movie and the books was excellent. The books have him in a bit more of a Yoda-like wise advisor role, but both characters' blend of sarcasm, exasperation, and general concern for Scott's well-being really gave him a bit more depth than all the others, in my opinion. And yeah, definitely a much more positive spin than the usual movie portrayal of the 'gay best friend', something that won major points with me as a reader right there.

I did a double take when I saw Kieran Culkin's name in the opening credits, and a quadruple take when I saw which character he was playing.

I think the producers of Scott Pilgrim see most of their profits coming from the DVD sales, we should expect a decent special edition.

You're probably right. I got that impression when I saw that it was in 1.85:1 instead of 2.35:1. On an aside, I really wish directors would ditch cinemascope. When 4:3 TVs were the standard, that and cinemascope were like night and day, but widescreen TVs have been the standard for a decade now. Not integating with that standard is pure self-indulgence on the part of movie directors. Cinemascope is just easy mode for epic framing; a good DP shouldn't need a crutch like that.

[xris]

I'm not really surprised at all with the Culkin brother's role. Macauly Culkin played Michael Alig in Party Monster. Which is a great film, based off a true story with a great cast. (I just looked at the IMBD for this, I've seen this movie a few times and never relised one of the smaller characters was Marilyn Manson!)

[monkeyman]

Saw the film the other day and loved it.
Didn't know too much about it except what was in the trailer and that it was based on a comic / graphic novel I hadn't heard of.

Thought the style suited the film really well and the comedy was consistently spot on. Also I felt clever when i got the references which is always good. Also fantastic use of the zelda jingle when he says Knives is chinese - I knew i was in for a treat from that point.

Only real negative is that you never get to know Ramona as a character (other than that she's cool and hot) and I really thought you needed to know more about her to know why Scott was willing to go through hell to get her - though that thought didn't really occur to me till after the credits rolled so wasn't a deal breaker.

That said I can see how this is dividing audiences. If anyone is on the fence, a good barometer is Edger Wright's sitcom 'Spaced' (not sure if this ever got noticed outside the UK or not). If you fall about laughing during an episode of that then you'll like Scott Pilgrim. If not, best steer clear.

As for the not doing well in cinemas, this will surely pick up on DVD as people have already speculated.