Tags:

...







Scott Pilgrim: The Last Airbender
December 29, 2010 1:32 PM   Subscribe

Scott Pilgrim: The Last Airbender.

Also, Scott Pilgrim vs. The Matrix, Scott Pilgrim vs. Ferris Beuller, Scott Pilgrim vs. Disney.
posted by kmz (77 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite

Paging Patton Oswalt, paging Patton Oswalt.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 1:40 PM on December 29, 2010 [7 favorites]


The future of entertainment will be recut video sequences of classic television and movies combined with dialogue from recut audio sequences of classic television and movies and radio. Eventually it will be automated. The most famous and celebrated of artists will not be those who create anything but instead are those who identify in these automated streams the most entertaining mashups. This prediction has already come true.
posted by TwelveTwo at 1:51 PM on December 29, 2010 [7 favorites]


Okay, yeah, I giggled. A lot.
posted by lauratheexplorer at 2:02 PM on December 29, 2010


Those seemed ... awkward.
posted by Kimberly at 2:02 PM on December 29, 2010


Both of these movies I had absolutely no desire to see; I'm curious if a mashup can somehow exceed the miserable sum of it's loathsome parts.
posted by hincandenza at 2:42 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Well on the plus side it wasn't the movie version of airbender; on the negative side, Michael Cera's whiny dialogue can grate even in cartoon form.

Seriously, was Scott Pilgrim as horrible as I imagine it to be? Stupid, whiny plot, plain emo girl who isn't worth the trouble, and Cera doing his Cera best to annoy the piss out of me? Was there anything redeeming about it at all?
posted by hincandenza at 2:49 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


I don't get it. I've heard of both movies but..... ?
posted by Liquidwolf at 2:52 PM on December 29, 2010


Was there anything redeeming about it at all?

Personally, I thought Kieran Culkin stole the show. But beware: I thought the movie was good.
posted by chimaera at 3:08 PM on December 29, 2010 [9 favorites]


That was epic. Azula as Roxy is awesome, though it would've been a bit more appropriate if they'd have done the ending shots where her hair is all wacky.
posted by NoraReed at 3:10 PM on December 29, 2010


No. Scott Pilgrim was EPIC.

One of my favorite films of the past year by far.
posted by Windopaene at 3:25 PM on December 29, 2010 [12 favorites]


Scott Pilgrim is a cute, fun movie about white kids in their 20s. If I was still in my 20s I'm sure I would've hated it. I certainly hated everything else about being in my 20s! Except smoking cigarettes...that was cool. Anyhow, I thought it was a pretty good adaptation from the comic and I larfed.
posted by aunt_winnifred at 3:27 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


I likewise enjoyed both this YouTube clip and the movie of Scott Pilgrim. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with it, Hincandenza.

Oh, and Kieran Culkin did an awesome Wallace.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 3:38 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Lord Chancellor, hincandenza didn't see it, he's just hating.

So disappointing that Scott Pilgrim appears to have been sunk by Michael Cera hipster backlash. It was definitely one of the most enjoyable films of the year.
posted by crashlanding at 3:47 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


What's to see? Cera whines, mopes, and lacks all backbone? The girl he "loves" he probably just met, right? And these 7 evil exes are some stupid roadblock to which any sane person would say "fuck you and your stupid baggage, lady" and take off.

In short, I hate the premise, and I fucking LOATHE Cera's simpering teenager schtick. Unless it had some hidden awesomeness, how could this movie have been good to anyone other than overgrown Nice Guys(tm) or video game/comic book fanbois who put women on a fake pedestal?
posted by hincandenza at 4:01 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


What the hell is a fanboi? Am I one? I liked the movie? I have to fit into one of those categories hincandenze listed or I'll explode.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 4:14 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


I liked the movie too, but to be fair, I'm a fake pedestal who puts comic books on women.
posted by Drastic at 4:29 PM on December 29, 2010 [14 favorites]


What the hell is a fanboi?

It's a person who is a fan of something who is also expressing an alternative approach to gender/sexuality. Kind of like a Boba Fetishist, but more 21st Century.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:34 PM on December 29, 2010 [8 favorites]


Jackie Treehorn treats objects like they are women.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 4:35 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


I now really wish I had the username "Boba Fetishist".
posted by Lord Chancellor at 4:36 PM on December 29, 2010


The mash-ups seemed to be a case where the end result was less than the sum of its parts.


hincandenza, I don't think you watched the post, the previews or the movie. So your basing your entire rant on some other movie you saw and insulting others for liking a movie that you haven't seen.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 4:39 PM on December 29, 2010 [9 favorites]


What's to see?

I'm late thirties, and watched it with other late-thirties friends. It was just a laugh. Obviously not everything is going to resonate, but the silliness of some of the gags made it worthwhile. I'm personally of the opinion that Ellen Wong and Keiran Culkin stole most of the scenes they were in. When people ask me to describe the movie I usually say "it's a bit like Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

If you're determined to take an oppositional reading of the movie, there's plenty of material: Scott is pretty self-centered for most of the movie, even for a young guy. The story is sometimes sappy. Disbelief must be not just suspended, but actively surrendered. The character of Wallace is more-or-less Gay-Guy-as-Magic-Negro.
posted by Ritchie at 4:49 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Scott Pilgrim is a cute, fun movie about white kids in their 20s.

Don't let Knives hear you say that.

It's a person who is a fan of something who is also expressing an alternative approach to gender/sexuality.

No, it's an alt spelling of fanboy, used to convey extra contempt or self-deprecation.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:51 PM on December 29, 2010


"Boba Fetishist"

"I like the smell of tapioca balls! I put them in my underwear!"

Between Scott Pilgrim and Inception, Double Negative killed it VFX-wise this year. Two great examples of effects utterly in service to the story.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:51 PM on December 29, 2010


I happen to like Michael Cera's voice. And I thought this mashup was funny.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:03 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


I've never read or seen Scott Pilgrim, but reading the Wikipedia page causes me to think it can't be anything other than insufferable. This isn't despite it containing a thousand video game references, it's because of it.
posted by JHarris at 5:04 PM on December 29, 2010


Guys, no one's pointing a gun to your head and making you watch it. Move along.
posted by NoraReed at 5:09 PM on December 29, 2010 [11 favorites]


How about we quit trashtalking movies that we haven't seen, m'kay?
posted by schmod at 5:11 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


Scott Pilgrim, the comic, is about sneakily getting Nice Guy slackers to identify with Scott Pilgrim, and then pointing out that Scott's personality flaws hurt the people who love him and that he's actually got some things in common with the douchebag villain.

Scott Pilgrim, the movie, is constrained by time and cuts out a lot of the more subtle psychology and anime/comic references, but also points out that Scott needs to grow up. Its central conceit is that growing up is like gaining levels in a video game.

I reviewed Volume 6 of the comic versus the movie here (spoiler warning).
posted by subdee at 5:29 PM on December 29, 2010 [18 favorites]


Based on subdee's review and the wiki plot sections for movie and comic, the movie truly sounds atrocious, as the only meaningful part of the comic (pointing out that this Scott character needed to grow beyond his selective memory and douchebag-y ways) sounds like it was stripped from the movie and replaced with, again, whiny Michael Cera. The movie's character appears to be inexplicably attractive to good looking, cool women because of his awkward behavior and dorkiness. The comic's plot line sounds not half bad, as I was imagining that if the seventh "evil ex" was Scott Pilgrim that'd be a nice comeuppance for all those Nice Guys(tm) who can't imagine why women date douchebags yet are utterly douchey themselves; the comic sounds like it had some of that involved, especially from subdee's review. Scott Pilgrim the comic character seems like a subtle way of whacking a certain type of person upside the head and pointing out "You're pretty flawed too, you know."

Which I guess makes Scott Pilgrim a perfect film, since the average comic-book fan imagines women as perfect, hugely busted and amazonian yet inexplicably drawn to awkward nerdy guys, and it sounds like the film delivers that trope: shy awkward dorky guy attracts and- despite behaving like a douche- retains a woman who's completely out of his league.

Also, people yearn towards their vehicles for escapism, film at 11. But Christ almighty, I can't stand Michael Cera.
posted by hincandenza at 5:47 PM on December 29, 2010


Well then. I thought the link was a primo top quality example of mashup and I'm pleased that I've been linked to it! I loved both A:tLA and Scott Pilgrim, but moreso I appreciated that the mashup took the care to perfectly sync all the wacko sound effects and flash cuts. It really threw some of the more serious moments of Avatar into a new, humorous light - like the owl in the library, of COURSE he's the guy who knows everyone, and the Firelord himself just sort of standing there, talking shit. It made me want to go watch both IPs again. I think that, if the Scott Pilgrim comics were made into a tv cartoon, it would rival A:tLA both for its demographic and its enduring popularity. They're a great match.

I'll just be over in the corner, trying to sprinkle some sunshine and rainbows around, chilling with the Cabbage Guy and Joseph.
posted by Mizu at 5:57 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


the movie is clear on scott's faults -- and what he has to learn. Don't diss it if you haven't seen it.

Also, it's not about white kids in their 20's.

It's about Toronto 20-somethings. City is more important than race.

(actually, it's about Toronto 20-somethings a few years ago, so really it's about Toronto now-early-30s people, aka people my age who hung out where friends of friends did).
posted by jb at 5:59 PM on December 29, 2010


Hincandenza , you hate a movie you have not seen. We get it. Sit down now.
posted by Artw at 5:59 PM on December 29, 2010 [22 favorites]


MY CABBAGES!!
posted by NoraReed at 6:00 PM on December 29, 2010 [5 favorites]


No, don't sit down yet. I'm still not clear about how he feels about Michael Cera.
posted by Drastic at 6:01 PM on December 29, 2010 [4 favorites]


Somewhat topically, I was going to say that the Matrix mashup is a good example of how not to do one. But then it struck me that deeply unsettling forced lip-synch-by-snippets thing? Forget deja vu, I'm pretty sure that's actually what it looks like when there's a glitch from something being changed.
posted by Drastic at 6:04 PM on December 29, 2010


I once argued for a few hours with a friend who said that ID4 was the worst movie of all time. He hadn't seen it.
Want me to send you his email hincandenza? You two sound like a perfect match.
posted by signal at 6:19 PM on December 29, 2010 [3 favorites]


Give it a fucking rest already.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 6:34 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Scott Pilgrim is a really, really fun movie. It would have been my favorite of the year if it weren't for Machete. Frankly, the more anti-hipster hate I see the directed at it, the more I like it.
posted by brundlefly at 6:47 PM on December 29, 2010 [4 favorites]


exzctly, Mizu. I thought this was a post about the mashup, which I thought was well made and entertaining. There's a version of AC/DC's Big Balls done with Spongebob clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLCKSPFrkJQ
though I would never post it on meta cuz it's kinda lowbrow for this crowd. Sure wouldn't want to spark any deep discission of the relative merits of the show, band, or song
posted by Redhush at 7:05 PM on December 29, 2010


Based on subdee's review and the wiki plot sections for movie and comic, the movie truly sounds atrocious...
three more fucking paragraphs

The time you spent writing that comment you will never get back. Why are you in this thread?
posted by dirigibleman at 7:08 PM on December 29, 2010 [3 favorites]


Was there anything redeeming about it at all?

Personally, I thought Kieran Culkin stole the show. But beware: I thought the movie was good.

I thought Kieran Culkin was the best part of the movie, but I did hate the movie about as much as I expected to. I never read the comic. Those Mash-ups were ok. Oddly, after seeing the movie, I said to someone if I didn't know it was based on a comic, it made about as much sense as a Disney Channel movie (although slightly more adult themed).
posted by stifford at 7:24 PM on December 29, 2010


A MeFite who can't appreciate AC/DC's Big Balls is a MeFite I don't want to know about.
posted by Mizu at 7:25 PM on December 29, 2010


Hey, it's no Speed Racer, but it's a fun flick.

Despite that 'Pretty in Pink' ending.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:46 PM on December 29, 2010


Based on subdee's review and the wiki plot sections for movie and comic, the movie truly sounds atrocious, as the only meaningful part of the comic (pointing out that this Scott character needed to grow beyond his selective memory and douchebag-y ways) sounds like it was stripped from the movie and replaced with, again, whiny Michael Cera. The movie's character appears to be inexplicably attractive to good looking, cool women because of his awkward behavior and dorkiness.

He's explicably attractive to women who are themselves kind of awkward and immature, which has very little to do with their hotness. They're "cool" the same way he's cool -- they're young and pretty and dress well and are artsy. That Scott would have no trouble attracting them is not hard to believe; it's even easier to believe he'd have a hard time keeping them, the fact of which is pretty much crucial to the whole thing. And Scott may pedestalize Ramona -- I'm pretty sure he does, as he barely knows her when he decides she's the girl of his dreams -- but the film does not. And it certainly doesn't cast him as a straight-up hero, except maybe by comparison to some of the film's douchier characters; he is at least capable of personal growth, which is not true of some others in the movie. I'm not saying you'll love the movie -- I think it's terrific if a bit too long, but it's got some hardcore detractors, some of whom have even seen it. But I am saying that the movie that you're describing, which I agree really sucks, is not this movie.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:23 PM on December 29, 2010 [6 favorites]


I once argued for a few hours with a friend who said that ID4 was the worst movie of all time. He hadn't seen it.

I have seen ID4 and... well, sometimes faulty methods still lead to the correct conclusion.
posted by kmz at 8:26 PM on December 29, 2010 [5 favorites]


I thought the Airbender video was cool but the other ones were weak or weird.
posted by SirOmega at 8:32 PM on December 29, 2010


Yeah, I should have left it at just the AtLA vid. I was trying to round up more to give the post more meat but I think in this case less would have been more.
posted by kmz at 9:01 PM on December 29, 2010


What the hell is a fanboi?

[blowjob pun redacted]
posted by Sys Rq at 9:07 PM on December 29, 2010


The future will be automated. Those who create anything will be combined and recut.
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:19 PM on December 29, 2010


I was impressed and amused.

I'm also impressed and amused that people who despise the idea of Scott Pilgrim so much that they refuse to see the film, read the comic, or engage with the material in any way would click on the link for a post in which 36% of the text is the phrase "Scott Pilgrim."

Watching those videos wasn't like drinking orange juice thinking it's milk or something. They pretty much do what they say on the tin.
posted by verb at 9:28 PM on December 29, 2010 [4 favorites]


HEY GUYS I'VE HEARD SOME THINGS ABOUT A THING AND DECIDED I HATE IT

Anyway, seriously. Scott Pilgrim is about growing the fuck up, owning up to the shitty things about you, and becoming an adult. It's full of video game references, and specifically full of 8 and 16 bit era references, because that's what nerds Scott's age played when they were kids. At one point, thinking Ramona's abandoned him, Scott sits around for days playing a Sonic game on the Genesis. In the late twenty-aughts. He accomplishes nothing and gains nothing because he's returning to the habits of his childhood. The series is structured like a video game because that's how Scott, being a twentysomething loser, sees the world. In the end what saves him is not the power of love, it's the Power of Self-Respect. The inane "GUYS IT'S FULL OF VIDEOGAME REFERENCES THAT'S SO DUMB" blather from people who haven't read the series and who don't understand that it's entirely metaphorical is silly and dumb. You're looking at a metaphor and trying to read it as literal. I have this mental image of you guys hearing from a friend that she's heartbroken and responding "Your heart's broken? Oh my god, let's get you to a hospital before you die!
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:53 PM on December 29, 2010 [10 favorites]


"GUYS IT'S FULL OF VIDEOGAME REFERENCES THAT'S SO DUMB"

Who's said that?

I saw it the other night. Thought it was dumb, but that the videogame references / style was the best bit about it. Apart from that it was a story of self-realisation and redemption - but, with the cost of that redemption cut from the end, the journey of self-realisation became pointless.

"the movie is clear on scott's faults -- and what he has to learn."

Ultimately, though, he got what he wanted - he didn't need to learn anything; the result would have been the same whether he'd undertaken the journey or not. Good lesson, huh?

-----
Prick: "I was a prick, wasn't I?"
Person he was a prick to: "Yes, you were."
Person who was the reason the prick was a prick: "I guess I've kinda been a prick too, maybe. Look, we've both learned something!"
Person he was a prick to (to Prick): "But it's OK. Now you've realised you were a prick, you can forget about how you were a prick to me. Go and be happy with the person who was the reason you were a prick."
-----

The 90 minutes or so leading up to that was basically "wacky adventures". More Bill and Ted than Ferris Bueller. At least in Ferris, even though he himself largely went nowhere, Cameron grew up enough to take responsibilty for his (or, more correctly, Ferris's) actions, Jeanie accepted her brother for what he was, and Sloan leared a bit about empathy. Compared to that, Scott Pilgrim was basically 110 minutes of pretty-but-bland with a "no consequences" wrap-up.

I understand the comic had a better ending than that…
posted by Pinback at 1:21 AM on December 30, 2010


Ultimately, though, he got what he wanted - he didn't need to learn anything; the result would have been the same whether he'd undertaken the journey or not. Good lesson, huh?

Well, aside from the fact that every single romantic relationship Scott has ever been in has been a horrible failure that's ended with his exes mostly hating him, and the ending at least appears to imply that he's a better person who isn't going to make the same mistakes this time. (Of course, he might make different mistakes, but at least he's not the completely oblivious ass he was.)
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:03 AM on December 30, 2010


I once argued for a few hours with a friend who said that ID4 was the worst movie of all time. He hadn't seen it.

I have seen ID4 and... well, sometimes faulty methods still lead to the correct conclusion.

You need to see worse movies. That or I need to have my mind scrubbed and reattain your state of innocence.
posted by Artw at 6:22 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh come on, a little hyperbole never hurt anybody.
posted by kmz at 7:20 AM on December 30, 2010


Things I've learned from this thread: That is all.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 7:39 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Just came in to point out that Mae Whitman is both the voice of Katara on the Last Airbender as well as the actress who played Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim.

But boy, a lot of you sure hate Michael Cera and Scott Pilgrim. Just...wow. I'm in my late 20s, married with a kid, but I'll make sure to stay off your lawn, haters.
posted by sleeping bear at 7:55 AM on December 30, 2010 [2 favorites]


I liked Scott Pilgrim. I didn't like Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim or the way the movie totally lost its confidence about a half-hour in.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:12 AM on December 30, 2010


Just came in to point out that Mae Whitman is both the voice of Katara on the Last Airbender as well as the actress who played Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim.

Her?
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:22 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Mae Whitman

Most famously known as the voice of Tinkerbell in this household.
posted by Artw at 9:26 AM on December 30, 2010


I've seen Scott Pilgrim, I don't hate Michael Cera, and I still agree with hincandenza's assessment of it. It's visually and stylistically a lot of fun, and as I was watching it, I remember being disappointed that I can't have movies that are this fun that don't involve plots written for pubescent boys.

I haven't read the comic and the movie really turned me off of wanting to read the comic, but it sounds like the movie just didn't live up to it.
posted by girih knot at 10:19 AM on December 30, 2010


It's visually and stylistically a lot of fun, and as I was watching it, I remember being disappointed that I can't have movies that are this fun that don't involve plots written for pubescent boys.
I wish there were more period dramas that weren't based on Jane Austen books, too. It doesn't mean that I have to shit on Northanger Abbey. I'm not suggesting that you are, just rolling my eyes at the folks who apparently chase around every mention of Scott Pilgrim on the Internet, loudly announcing how much they hate it even though they've never watched or read it.
posted by verb at 10:33 AM on December 30, 2010


Just wanted to point out that Scott Pilgrim treats Ramona like the girl of his dreams right after meeting her is because she really was in his dreams. That's the joke.
posted by I-baLL at 10:48 AM on December 30, 2010 [2 favorites]


Apparently I was blessed to miss Cera in his earlier roles. He wasn't my Scott Pilgrim, but he was a good Scott Pilgrim. (Wallace was pretty damn spot-on, though.)

I can understand some of the criticisms from people who never read the books, but I'm the type of person who insists on reading the books first when possible so I don't pay much attention to them.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:59 AM on December 30, 2010


Apparently I was blessed to miss Cera in his earlier roles.

Not really. I think he's pretty competent. Metafilter has a hate-on for him though because he got typecast as a whiny indie kid after juno.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:16 AM on December 30, 2010


Yeah. It was hard for me to forgive anyone who was in Juno. One day at a time...

The other thing that kind of confuses me about the continuing Scott Pilgrim hate is that this isn't Avatar we're talking about. It didn't set the world on fire and it's not hard to avoid references to it. In fact it flopped pretty heavily. I mean, do all copies need to be shoved into a pit in New Mexico or something?

a little hyperbole never hurt anybody.

I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW MY BROTHER WAS KILLED BY HYPERBOLE
posted by brundlefly at 11:26 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


a little hyperbole never hurt anybody.

I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW MY BROTHER WAS KILLED BY HYPERBOLE

That is without a doubt the WORST hyperbole ever.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:03 PM on December 30, 2010


I quite liked Juno.
posted by Artw at 12:31 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


I just found it very irritating for some reason. I barely finished it.
posted by brundlefly at 12:37 PM on December 30, 2010


So did I. Still do, even.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:37 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Er, I quite liked it, that is. Damn you brundlefly!!!
posted by Sys Rq at 12:37 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


I really liked Scott Pilgrim vs The World.
posted by zeek321 at 7:49 PM on December 30, 2010


Nothing's worse than hyperbole.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:05 PM on December 30, 2010


No, it's an alt spelling of fanboy, used to convey extra contempt or self-deprecation.

Partially true. It's also a spelling used by many fanbois to self-identify.
posted by coolguymichael at 9:51 AM on December 31, 2010


My hyperbowl contains two liters of soup.
posted by TwelveTwo at 2:34 PM on December 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


And no, I will not share any of it.
posted by TwelveTwo at 3:29 PM on December 31, 2010


JHarris: "I've never read or seen Scott Pilgrim, but reading the Wikipedia page causes me to think it can't be anything other than insufferable. This isn't despite it containing a thousand video game references, it's because of it"

Eh, I know nothing about video games and I still liked the movie. It made me laugh. The music was good. The plot was enjoyable. Ramona's hair was excellent. I was amused and entertained, and that's all I was hoping for.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:27 PM on January 1, 2011


« Older The division of post-WWII Berlin reached everywher...  |  What does it mean to be Canadi... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments