Paul Anderson: Lazy Bastard

[Ender]

First of all, a quick mod note, even though this thread focuses largely on a current movie, I put it here in general because I'm just using that current movie as an example to build an argument of a more general nature. That's my call anyway.

Now, on to the main attraction.

There's no such thing as mixed feelings when it comes to writer/director Paul WS Anderson. Some people like him, some people hate him. Me, I'm the hating kind.

Most people hate Anderson on the basis that he "has no talent" and "makes bad movies". Personally though, I don't think that's true. Let me explain, it's no secret that the reason studios like Anderson is because he can turn a profit on a low budget. To do this, he subscribes to the "good enough" method of film-making. "Was Resident Evil any good?" "Well, it was good enough...".

I think Paul Anderson actually has a good eye as a director and I think his movies are enjoyable, to a degree. The reason I hate him is because he's just plain lazy. In every movie he's ever created, he had a great opportunity to make something dynamic and original, but instead, he just made something that was "good enough".

Let's use Alien vs Predator by way of example, just because I saw it most recently. If we wander off-topic in this discussion, I'll do similar line-ups on other movies as well.

What He Could Have Done: Given us a movie about Aliens fighting Predators.
What He Did: Gave us a movie about boring humans who get offed, at the end of which Aliens fight Predators. Not even a fight really, just a little brawl. A minor melee. A tussle. Bit of a scrap. They had an arm-wrestling contest, actually. And a frank exchange of ideals. They talked things out over tea. Or maybe just had a "You Got Served"-style dance competition (okay, so it wasn't THAT bad...).

What He Could Have Done: Given us an R rated movie in which Aliens eviscerate people, Predator's skin their victims, and human use swear words.
What He Did: Gave us a movie where all the killings are done off camera, a human being can be impaled without bleeding, and the word "motherfucker" gets cut off halfway.

What He Could Have Done: Made some characters that we the audience care about and relate to.
What He Did: Gave us the same one dimensional "team of specialists" characters that he uses in EVERY MOVIE.

What He Could Have Done: Explained the backstory in a credible and plausible manner.
What He Did: Read it off a bunch of "hieroglyphics".

What He Could Have Done: Came up with a backstory that was interesting and original.
What He Did: Went with the "aliens as gods" thing that we've all seen before.

What He Could Have Done: Justice to both franchises.
What He Did: Made the Predators look like pussies.

I think any semi-motived person could have given us a decent movie here, a movie following the "What He Could Have Done" rules, and I think that any semi-motivated person could have made a good Resident Evil or Event Horizon as well. He has the talent, he has the means, so why does he keep churning out 5/10 sort of flicks?

My explanation, he's just plain lazy, and quite honestly, I'll take a flat-out bad director over a "talented but lazy" director any day of the week.

[Wolf]

Great job! I think your spot on though I dont care for the whole "pg-13 is the devil" argument. But when you think about it, in certain scenes he does show signs of greatness, but he never really goes for it. Lazy.

[Shockwave]

Pretty much agree 100%.

Nearly all of his movies seem to be made with the "gimmi the paycheck!" feeling to them.

The problem is the guys writing is piss poor, i actualy think hes gettign WORSE with each movie he does.


He has the talent, he has the means, so why does he keep churning out 5/10 sort of flicks?


Its the studios fault!
;)



Im being sarcastic, im just so tired of hearing that excuse movie after movie with PA involved!

[optimusprime]

I haven't seen the movie, but I've heard enough about it to agree with you. Soldier is a really bad movie. Bad! Event Horizon is his only decent flick.

[Weapon X]

Originally posted by Ender
[b]What He Could Have Done: Given us a movie about Aliens fighting Predators.
What He Did: blah blah blah...
He did give us Aliens vs Predators. And a few humans who have the poor fortune of getting killed in the process. That's what I wanted, that's what I expected, that's what I got.

What He Could Have Done: Given us an R rated movie in which Aliens eviscerate people, Predator's skin their victims, and human use swear words.
What He Did: Gave us a movie where all the killings are done off camera, a human being can be impaled without bleeding, and the word "motherfucker" gets cut off halfway.
Studio enforced cuts. And until it's 10 years from now and there's still no sign of an Unrated DVD, that's Anderson's story and I'm sticking to it. Baa-aaa-aaa... (for those of you about to call me a sheep)

What He Could Have Done: Made some characters that we the audience care about and relate to.
What He Did: Gave us the same one dimensional "team of specialists" characters that he uses in EVERY MOVIE.

What He Could Have Done: Explained the backstory in a credible and plausible manner.
What He Did: Read it off a bunch of "hieroglyphics".
Okay, ya got me there.

What He Could Have Done: Came up with a backstory that was interesting and original.
What He Did: Went with the "aliens as gods" thing that we've all seen before.
However you boil it down, the "story", no matter how good it might be, is just an excuse for Aliens and Predators to beat the shit out of each other, and that alone is hardly an original or even interesting concept. It's a crossover. How much creativity does it take to just take two already-existing characters and slap 'em together just for the hell of it? It's how the teamup is brought to life that makes the difference, and the fact that Anderson managed to make the movie and bring AVP to life at all is a miracle given what the project went through over the last 14 years. The idea of "aliens as gods" is something we've seen before, I'll give you that, but I personally love the concept, haven't seen enough of it yet, and would love to see it explored further in the future.

What He Could Have Done: Justice to both franchises.
What He Did: Made the Predators look like pussies.
*Groan* I'm getting real fuckin' sick of this argument. What, I ask, makes the Predator look like pussies? 'Cause I'm stumped, seriously. So they don't have their guns. It ups the challenge! So two of them get killed by the same Alien. Need I remind you they're adolescents with minimal experience hunting acid-bleeding bugs? Besides, one gets stabbed in the back while he wasn't looking, another puts up a tremendous fight before he gets offed, and the third is slaying Aliens left and right, and even helps take out a Queen. Oh yeah, they're huge pussies. :rolleyes:

What, was it the teamup of Scar and Lex? That seems to be pissing off a lot of people because it's "out of character for a Predator". Obviously these folks have never read AVP: Prey, of which the partnering of a Predator and a human female is the backbone of the story. It was better written and executed in Prey, but it being the first Alien Vs Predator story, it's canon, and the concept recurring in the movie proves Anderson did his research.

Justice to the franchises? Maybe not total justice, but we got Aliens vs Predators, and we got a big badass bitch of a Queen instead of that lethargic lump of slime from that POS Alien Resurrection. And yes, I'm referring to both the Queen and the Newborn.

My explanation, he's just plain lazy, and quite honestly, I'll take a flat-out bad director over a "talented but lazy" director any day of the week.
Lazy talent is still talent. Says me, anyway.

*slithers off the corner and waits for everyone to ignore him*

[Shockwave]

*slithers off the corner and waits for everyone to ignore him*

-Shockwave pokes Weapon X with a stick like a cruel child until he slithers under a rock-

:)

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by Shockwave
-Shockwave pokes Weapon X with a stick like a cruel child until he slithers under a rock-

:)

Psychocandy proceeds to stack stone upon stone around the rock beneath which Weapon X slithered. Eventually a cairn is formed at the head of which a marker is placed. Carved upon this marker are the following words.

"Here lies the body of Weapon X. Let this be a lesson to all who would decry the mediocrity of Paul Anderson. For he is indeed a lazy, talentless bum. Amen"

[Hot-Handed Fury]

I say wait until the R-Rated director's cut comes out on DVD to see the "real" version.

According to Anderson, and I quote, "They cut out all the best scenes". And, "If you had seen the real version, everything would have been explained".

Supposedley in his R-rated cut all deaths are gory and on-screen, there's a 1904 flashback thats totally cut out, and an entire subplot thats missing as well.

Its also explained that the Predators hook up the ALien queen to a machine that gives her hormones, thus explaining the sped-up chestbursters.

Anyway, hopefully Anderson is right about all this. We'll see...

[Weapon X]

Originally posted by Psychocandy
Psychocandy proceeds to stack stone upon stone around the rock beneath which Weapon X slithered. Eventually a cairn is formed at the head of which a marker is placed. Carved upon this marker are the following words.

"Here lies the body of Weapon X. Let this be a lesson to all who would decry the mediocrity of Paul Anderson. For he is indeed a lazy, talentless bum. Amen"

WX mightily bursts forth from the pile of rocks and proceeds to stone to death all who oppose him and screams to the heavens, "Whoever wins...so did I!"