Pearl Harbor may hearken back to From Here to Eternity and Tora! Tora! Tora!, but those were classics. This film is crap. Aside from sharing the same genre, it's not even close to being in the same league as the aforementioned films. So I don't consider it an adequate comparsion. As for Bay's editing, that's the least of his problems.

And there is something to be said about a film taking in more than 600 million domestically and tying with Ben Hur in receiving the most awards for a motion picture. Therefore, in my opinion, you really can't compare Pearl with Titanic like all the critics have been doing. Titanic is far superior to Bay's joke in every aspect of the film making process.

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The man with the magic hands.

to sum it up on the sound:
problem with dialog intelligibility
lack of deep and loud frequencies ( they're sometimes deep but not loud enough and you can feel it restrained )
bullets and machine guns lack any liveness ( and in reality, these are very loud ! a 9mm goes as high as 130dB or more )
a general laid-back presence.

quote:

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I know every movie can not be a Saving Private Ryan, but give me Pearl Harbor to watch on Thursday night over say... What's The Worst That Could Happen, Freddy Got Fingered, Spy Kids, Joe Dirt, Along Came A Spider, Someone Like You, Saving Silverman, The Pledge, Head Over Heels, Sweet November, The Replacements, Pokemon 3, Dude, Where's My Car? and so on and so forth.

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Ok the fight sequence is kind of ok but the majority of the film is based on the horrible love triangle thing.

People who have bad on screen chemistry splurting out bad dialogue. -Thats recorded badly.

And as far as manipulation goes, I don't think most directors out there can invoke a particular emotion without some form of it. I mean you can't tell me that watching a bunch of defenseless Navy men wading in the water while the Japanese mow them down with strafing runs isn't some form of manipulation. True, it's an accurate depiction, but how many audience members are going to be angered by those scenes? I know I was. Or how many Japanese people watching this show do you think are going to feel awkward watching this? Even more so now that we are allies?

No, Jason I don't think my logic is glitched unless I'm drinking. And I was very much sober when I watched this film, and I still do not like it, and again, that is my opinion and if it shocks you that my tastes are not in agreement with yours, well then I apologize.

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The man with the magic hands.

How can you say that all of Titanic's Oscars were rightfully won! Tell me how, when we had so many great films that year. L.A. Confidential is a thousand times the movie Titanic will ever be. Julia Roberts wins an Oscar because everyone wants to remember that performance, because its to hard to swallow what Ellen Burstyn did in Requiem For A Dream. So by this logic, Titanic sweeps the Oscars preventing worthy movies from receiving their just rewards. L.A. Confidential sweept every single critics awards in '97, but who won the Oscar... Titanic.

Also your not addressing what I have been saying all along about Pearl Harbor. Randall Walace's story may have weak spots, but a least he doesn't have his main characters spitting off the side of a ship(or out of a plane) as they are falling in love. Titanic and its weak-ass story line could float out to sea for all I care. Cameron's ideas are so forced and manipulative that you find yourself being leaf like cattle to the slaughter. Look up the original script for Titanic, Bill Paxton's character was in early drafts a fame seeking ego maniac, but after test screenings, sections of his dialoge were cut to make him more sympathetic. I not saying that Michael Bay doesn't listen to what the test screenings tell him, but the simple fact remains that Titanic is not deserving of such praise, technical awards maybe... maybe. Surely not Best Picture, not over Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential, and As Good As It Gets. All three of these films have so much more to offer than Titanic.

Now if you want to talk music scores. I guess your just not into your feminine side. The love story is a weepy romantic triangle, so Hans delivers a lush, romantic, innocent theme for the movie. I myself was shocked the first time I heard it on the web site for the movie, yet over time I have begun to favor as suitable for the film.

Hats off to you Michael Bay for making an enjoyable film that everyone, from all walks can enjoy and learn from.

All the nay-sayers can sit at home and watch the historical accuracy of movies like the The Longest Day, which felt like the longest movie to get through.

As to the Oscar comments, the year Titanic won was one of the only years I wasn't screaming in pain at the Academy's decisions.

Oh well, to each his own, right?

Hi and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I happen to have watched it a second time ( ) yesterday in a smaller theater: 12meter 2.35 screen, Altec Lansig power amps (94xx serie), DTS sound, 240 seats room, Klispch speakers. The sound was much better, more violent (while indistorted), more "impacting", especially on gun shots and machine guns shots. The explosions went deeper and tighter. Dialogues still remain an issue here. Let's hope for the dvd

All in all, I admit that kind of room size and screen size ( more contrast, crisper image ) over large ones. Surrounds where superb, no wonder with the romm twice narrower. A 40 or 45 wide room, and 40ft screen is really the right compromise to me.
The theater was not THX certified but was using THX gears.

Now you're slamming The Longest Day? Man, I just don't get your taste. And it's obvious you don't get mine. So I guess as Brad said before, to each his own, right?

And as far as music scores go, most of my collection comprises Williams, Goldsmith, and Horner. Men who know how to use the brass section! So yeah. I guess I'm not as in touch with my feminine side. That and I'm just not a big fan of Zimmer. I only have the scores to Gladiator, Broken Arrow and Backdraft and the latter two were gifts.

You obviously have gotten more out of this picture than most of us, and that's fine. But I still happen to think Titanic is better. Also understand that despite the luggies, the pre-marital sex, and Paxton's toned down ego-manical character, I happen to think Titanic is overall a better film than the best picture contenders of '97. I'm not just looking at the storyline in Titanic, I'm also admiring Cameron's directing, editing, and storyboarding capabilities. And there is no "maybe" about the technical aspects warranting award. Especially when you've got Gary Rydstrom doing the sound mix for instance. To take on an immense project in the $200 million range and deliver a movie like Titanic is worthy, I think, of an Oscar. Even for Best Picture.

As for the characters, I cared for the ones in Titanic more than I did the ones in Pearl Harbor. And if you think the characters are childish in hocking luggies for love (at least he wasn't teaching Rose how to delevop other groteque habits such as belching or passing wind in the movie {unless its in the director's cut}), you must admit that the two main characters playing a game of chicken with two P-40 fighter planes during practice, while not directly related to the love story, is just as childish. But at least the love story in Pearl is more respectable as far as body functions go, yes. I will agree with that. But it's still a weak ass one. And I didn't think it was as strong as the love story in Titanic. I'm not saying there's something to be said for saliva, don't get me wrong. I just have to care about the characters in the first place before I can care about the love story. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if you CAN spit from a P-40 like that.

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The man with the magic hands.

About two hours into the film, an elderly gentleman came out and said he felt a bit strange, so we gave him a glass of water, and as he was recovering he said "I was watching this and some girls behind me were laughing, and all i was thinking was, if only they knew what i went through"