MaxFly

Drew really lays out what I was saying earlier... Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-will-and-jaden-smith-explore-father-son-dynamics-against-a-science-fiction-adventure-backdrop-in-after-earth#VpJMQIBmmtVs74Lx.99 I've never seen reviewers go after other reviewers so pointedly. Makes you really wonder just how reliable these people are and whether they are able to step outside of their bias and review movies without an agenda. I've read so many reviews that open up with how much they hate Night or how they are sick of Will Smith "shoving his kids down our throats," and it's hard to believe that they didn't enter their viewing experiences with those biases in hand. I also find it interesting that some of the reviewers praise Will's acting as great in his portrayal of the battle hardened and emotionally stunted father, and others are upset that he is so stiff and unfeeling, missing his naturally warm, affable charm. Is it me, or are some of these people daft? How do you play an emotionally stunted and serious father with issue who is affable and warm? If he were to play the affable, warm father, one of the major obstacles between he and his son on this journey would be removed, making the story increasingly one dimensional and boring. But here's the secret, and someone correct me if you think I'm wrong... I'm willing to bet people would have complained if Will had played the character as his natural, likable self, probably saying that he doesn't take any risks and that a more serious and distant tone would have added more to the plot and interaction and growth of the characters. I wish I could sum it up in simply saying "haters gonna hate," but it's a bigger problem than that. It's very rare that you see a reviewer state that people wanted to hate the film before seeing it, but I have to say... that kind of behavior is transparent. Anyone older than 8 can see when someone is hoping that something fails, and can especially see when someone takes delight in a perceived failure, even if it isn't a failure. It may seem like just writing on websites and forums, but what you say, how you say it, and what you choose to focus on is generally a dead giveaway.

A lot of people won't take this to heart, but this is certainly something I have noticed of late... especially as the opening draws close. A good number of reviewers and commentators seem to want this film to fail primarily because of Shyamalan's involvement. It's not often that you see a reviewer put others on blast, but this is an accurate take. I've seen a lot of snark and cynicism on various forums concerning Night, and to be honest, I've seen the same things concerning Jaden. Now this is funny because Jaden got quite a bit of hate for Karate Kid before it came out, but most people ultimately ended up liking it, and appreciating his performance. However, people are going back to their previous criticisms and claims of nepotism as if they forgot that they ended up liking Karate Kid. A bad review is a bad review, but when you see reviewers open up with a 2 paragraph take on why they hate M. Night or make comments concerning Will Smith "shoving hid kid down our throats" before they launch into the review, it's easy to get the sense that some people had an agenda or bias before seeing the movie.

That pretty much says it all. I wonder how this person feels about Will creating a project for Jaden. Sounds like they really applaud the idea. Lol

Awesome!

All these girls talking about "Wheel.... wheel... please wheel..." better go see the movie. Lol

Concerning those IMDB Reviews... Someone's take on IMDB... and so it starts... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1815862/board/thread/215092718 How? How are you people seeing this movie. In three days, the rating has dropped from 7.0 to 6.5. How is this fair? I can understand hating a film if you see it and don't like it, but don't just hate the film "...because!" without even taking the time to watch it and think about it. The Last Airbender is a bad movie but it was judged as a bad movie after release. But this hasn't been released, at least not on a proper level. By rating the movie without seeing it, you're making a mockery out of the rating system. This gives weight to people who say all IMDB ratings are phoney and biased. It makes it possible for someone to say "yeah, Lady in the Water has a low IMDB rating, but most people who rated haven't seen it, they just hate Shyamalan." You think you're spiting the film or the filmmakers by giving it a low rating before it's been released, but you're not. You're just making it possible for people to discredit all IMDB ratings, which negates the point of them even existing. Judge the film fairly or don't judge it at all. Last Wednesday, only 82 Americans had rated the movie. That number has since doubled despite the film not being shown in the U.S. According to IMDB, the film was shown in Japan and South Korea, and according to Shyamalan, it's been shown in London and will soon be shown in Paris and Moscow. This explains the non-U.S. votes, which give the film an aggregate rating of 6.9. How can there be such a huge disparity between U.S. and non-U.S. voters? From 49 to 69 out of 100; why are non US users enjoying it, but American users aren't? The Arithmetic mean is still 7.6. and the Median is 9, but it's clear that the rating is being sabotaged by U.S. trolls, which just proves that IMDB ratings can't be trusted. It's worse that these low ratings are coming from grown men (30+) who should know better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbZct9Ey-CI Will & Jaden Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Alfonso Ribeiro Rap on The Graham Norton Show

You can tell Will is loving all of this... doing what he does, but having a chance to do it with his son. To joke, to laugh, to teach. He has definitely made an investment here.

I watched the clip a few times looking for what was wrong with it... I think his acting in that clip was excellent. His character is being asked to cross 100 Kilometers through unfamiliar and dangerous territory under the threat of death... and he's the only one who can do it at this point. To top it off, he's being asked to do this by his estranged father who he probably worships and more than anything wants to emulate and avoid looking like a wimp in front of. The problem is that what he is being asked to do is pretty overwhelming and he's trying his best to hold himself together in front of his father. That kid is terrified, and he plays it pretty well.

Lol, I seriously hope no one embarrasses themselves by asking that.

Don't stop, won't stop... apparently. http://www.nbcnews.com/video/the-grio/51374573/#51374573' Has anyone heard Will actually talk about this. Doesn't sound like he has given it even the smallest amount of attention.

This is going to be a great movie.

So instead of Willow doing it, they have Quvenzhané Wallis doing it... she's 9... even younger than Willow. Let's see how many people complain now. For those who have been "outraged" about the Smiths pushing kids into entertainment, I trust that the reaction to this will be even worse, right....? Somehow, I suspect it won't be. Lol... wonder why.

Looking forward to the new trailer.

OMG.. what an annoying journalist! I don't think so at all. I think this is more a reflection on Tarantino than the journalist. The point of the profession is to ask tough questions when possibly and appropriate of those who are being interviewed. "I'm not your monkey." "I'm not your slave." That's no way for a director to behave in an interview. It's pretty disgusting behavior to be honest.

Quentin Tarantino on violence in movies, post Sandy Hook Elementary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrsJDy8VjZk#t=4m7s

I think it would be a great idea to make at least one sequel. The subsequent world that was created in ID4 is rich with stories. We have never seen a big budget movie about a present-day world having to rebuild and defend itself after a massive alien attack. Let's remember where we left off. Every major city in the world was destroyed and a ridiculous percentage of the world's population was killed off. No doubt, countries were toppled and dictatorships arose. We likely have nuclear missiles unaccounted for... disease... illness... poor medical care, fractured governments... and to top it off, we still have a healthy alien population running around and planning revenge if not amassing another attack. The story could write itself. The maddening thing about many of these apocalyptic movies is that we rarely get a chance to see what happens after the apocalypse; no comprehensive forward glimpse or post log. We're left to imagine what could happen after we blow the alien space ship out of the sky and win the day, forgetting that they day hasn't really been won... our cities are still devastated and most of our world population is still dead... that "win" was just the beginning. There is so much more that can be told while adhering to the original theme of Independence Day... the resilience of the human spirit. It should be made.

Quite a bit of contention surrounding this one. Probably a net plus for his career that Will stayed away.

That's actually pretty cool.

This is all very reminiscent of the Karate Kid and MIIIB threads. I'm starting to think that this movie will do well.

It's a fun listen keeping in mind his age... though some of the content may be a little mature for 14. Much of the production is excellent. He has a more relaxed style with almost a little melancholy in his voice, but I expect his style to evolve. Would like to see a more aggressive/upbeat style in line with "Give it to 'em" as well as more story telling with concrete, directional themes. All in all, he has done a great job for where he is and he'll only continue to get better. Still can't get over how good the production is and how mature his voice has gotten in a year. This kid has talent. Listen to this track... don't want the video... just listen and tell me you don't start bobbing your head. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orfa_tGKgIg&feature=player_embedded#!

Haha... indeed.

I guess we can add this to the long list of "It's going to flop" sentiments we've seen over the last several years.

Lol!

I find this sort of thing pretty hilarious. "What is Will Smith?" He was one of the pioneers who opened up the rap music genre and made it more presentable and accessible to a much larger audience... that it was poetry and story telling to a beat... it didn't have to be about killing cops, selling drugs, or living in the hood... he won the first ever Grammy for rap music for his trouble. He was and to this day is still the most successful rapper turned actor, and has opened up possibilities for countless other rappers, including Queen Latifah, LL and many others who later chose to focus on acting. These days, every rapper wants to act if they can, and there are no real barriers anymore because Will Smith showed that it could work, and work very, very well. And I'm sorry, AJ, but it is insulting. I understand that they are recounting how they felt at the time and that their attitudes have changed, but their attitude at that time was not only myopic and insulting, but wholly ignorant and uninformed. They cite Summertime, which came out in '91, as his last hit prior to working with him on MIB in 96-97, but Will and Jeff weren't really recording much back then, considering FPoBA ran from '90 to '96 and Will had begun to invest more time in movies. However, they did have time time to drop a little album named Code Red. Are we saying that Code Red wasn't a great album and didn't have any hits? Are we saying that "Boom! Shake the Room" wasn't a hit? Are we saying that "I'm Looking for the One" wasn't a great track? Since when? Lol @ Will Smith needing anyone to make him cool after his prior success in rap music with Jeff, FPoBA, Bad Boys and Independence Day. Lol @ Big Willie Style going 9x Platinum and having 4 hits, but Will being concerned about looking cool. Lol @ Coco making an insanely foolish decision. Oh... and Lol @ watching the Patriots game and just seeing a Budweiser commercial 10 minutes ago with Summertime playing as the music track, proving that it is still one of the most iconic hip hop joints ever written. Will stays #winning. The questions is... is anyone keeping count?