[Aaarg]

I like obvious sets, though. I like movies that look like elaborate theater productions. Any old Shaw Brothers movie has some silly-looking fake set pieces, and they manage to make it work every time. Revenge of a Kabuki Actor has several scenes shot in a dark, closed set - no props or set pieces, just black floors. I guess it's a matter of taste, really.

I don't see why what was possible in the 60s and 70s isn't possible today. It's a pain in the ass to make a movie as stunning as Ran, but in the end... you have a movie like Ran.

I think I just really respect the problem solving when it comes to "special effects," especially in horror movies. The Evil Dead II is pretty awesome for that. You want to achieve the effect of having a severed hand running across the floor? Build a fake floor with a gap in it.

CGI can do a lot more with a lot less and provides more jobs to people in the business, so I guess there's that. I just don't like the way movies look now and I liked the way they looked several decades ago.

ramblr