Just watched Signs... AWESOME movie. (***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***, + a Widescreen question for you DVD gurus)

[murphy55d]

Picked up Signs this morning after work($14.77 at Wal-Mart FYI), just got done watching it, if you haven't seen it yet, it is a must-see. Great great flick.

You guys agree?


Also have a question. I notice that on some widescreen movies, the black bars are smaller than on other movies. Why is this? Signs had relatively small black bars, compared to a lot of other movies. (LOTR, Gladiator, both have significantly larger bars). What is the reasoning behind this?

 

[LostHiWay]

A film can be filmed at different ratios. The most common are:

2.35:1 - The biggest black bars
1.85:1 - Smaller black bars (this is how signs was filmed)
1.66:1 - Even smaller black bars (most films in this ratio are shot full screen (4:3) then matted down to this ratio)

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: LostHiWay
A film can be filmed at different ratios. The most common are:

2.35:1 - The biggest black bars
1.85:1 - Smaller black bars (this is how signs was filmed)
1.66:1 - Even smaller black bars (most films in this ratio are shot full screen (4:3) then matted down to this ratio)

Ahhh I see. I prefer this 1.85 ratio.

 

[SaltBoy]

There's a debate about Signs in Hot Deals: Link

Some people love Signs, some people hate it. I was on the love side.

As for the black bars, it's just the aspect ratio in which a film is presented. Signs has an aspect of 1.85:1, meaning the width of the picture is 1.85 times greater than the height of the picture. Other movies (LOTR, Matrix, Gladiator, all Star Wars Movies) have an aspect of 2.35:1. Other, older movies -- like Ben Hur -- have an even WIDER aspect ratio, something like 2.85:1.

The reason for the wider screen, I guess, is to give a more "epic" feel to the movie. Movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, and so a bigger, wider aspect gives a more "panoramic" look to the movie. Human eyes provide more rectangular vision, rather than a square vision, so a wider picture naturally fills up what the eyes see. Understand?

However, some movies that have the 2.35:1 ratio (K-Pax comes to mind), don't exactly have an epic scope to the picture, while some that are shot in 1.85:1 (Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park) would seem natural candidates for the wider aspect. It's up to the director, I guess.

/edit Oh yeah, I forgot about 1.66:1. That's reserved mostly for Disney cartoons. Atlantis, I believe, is the exception to the rule, since it was filmed in 2.35:1

 

[KhoiFather]

I hope you realize that the aliens you saw in the movie aren't really aliens. Do you know what they are? If not, I'll tell you.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
I hope you realize that the aliens you saw in the movie aren't really aliens. Do you know what they are? If not, I'll tell you.

I'm not sure.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
I hope you realize that the aliens you saw in the movie aren't really aliens. Do you know what they are? If not, I'll tell you.

That's an interesting interpretation, but what they are isn't really of importance, anyway.

 

[KhoiFather]

Well, I first thought they were aliens also, but if you notice all the clues in the movies, they are actually spirits that are wondering around. They show "signs" because they want to be known. You see why near the end when the alien picked up the kid and had his hand near his nose? I think that was the mother's spirit, and she gave that "gas" that cleared up his asthma. Get it?

 

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
I hope you realize that the aliens you saw in the movie aren't really aliens. Do you know what they are? If not, I'll tell you.

men in suits?

 

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
Well, I first thought they were aliens also, but if you notice all the clues in the movies, they are actually spirits that are wondering around. They show "signs" because they want to be known. You see why near the end when the alien picked up the kid and had his hand near his nose? I think that was the mother's spirit, and she gave that "gas" that cleared up his asthma. Get it?

uhhhhh....no. In fact, if you are serious, you are an idiot. I'm just gonna hope my sarcasm meter is broke this morning.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
Well, I first thought they were aliens also, but if you notice all the clues in the movies, they are actually spirits that are wondering around. They show "signs" because they want to be known. You see why near the end when the alien picked up the kid and had his hand near his nose? I think that was the mother's spirit, and she gave that "gas" that cleared up his asthma. Get it?

I don't agree. If you noticed earlier, Joaquin Phoenix' character said the aliens were using poison gas, and a lot of people died. Mel Gibson's character then said after the kid got sprayed, that none of the poison got into his lungs BECAUSE of his asthma attack, which closed his lungs up.

I dunno, open to interpretation I guess though.

 

[KhoiFather]

I dunno then, I remember my friend saying something like that to me. I'll ask him about it again.

 

[911paramedic]

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
Well, I first thought they were aliens also, but if you notice all the clues in the movies, they are actually spirits that are wondering around. They show "signs" because they want to be known. You see why near the end when the alien picked up the kid and had his hand near his nose? I think that was the mother's spirit, and she gave that "gas" that cleared up his asthma. Get it?

So the mother told Phoenixs' character to "swing away" on her own spirit?? I am going to guess "no" on that interpretation.

 

[Ketteringo]

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
I hope you realize that the aliens you saw in the movie aren't really aliens. Do you know what they are? If not, I'll tell you.

What are they? I thought tall green men coming from lights in the sky who kill people with poison gas and melt when they touch water were aliens, weird. If you say extraterrestrials ill boof you.

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
Well, I first thought they were aliens also, but if you notice all the clues in the movies, they are actually spirits that are wondering around. They show "signs" because they want to be known. You see why near the end when the alien picked up the kid and had his hand near his nose? I think that was the mother's spirit, and she gave that "gas" that cleared up his asthma. Get it?

I don't agree. If you noticed earlier, Joaquin Phoenix' character said the aliens were using poison gas, and a lot of people died. Mel Gibson's character then said after the kid got sprayed, that none of the poison got into his lungs BECAUSE of his asthma attack, which closed his lungs up.

I dunno, open to interpretation I guess though.

exactly, its about destiny, and how a higher power works in mysterious ways...whereas the kid woulda died from his asthma and what not, which would suck, and mel gibson would be blaming god...it actually saved him in the end...and that is why sometimes god makes us suffer...because in the end, it has a greater purpose

 

[LostHiWay]

exactly, its about destiny, and how a higher power works in mysterious ways...whereas the kid woulda died from his asthma and what not, which would suck, and mel gibson would be blaming god...it actually saved him in the end...and that is why sometimes god makes us suffer...because in the end, it has a greater purpose

That's how I saw it....however I think the reason so many people choose to not like this movie is because it's about God or a higher power. Now I don't believe in God but I still thought that Signs was a very good movie. Remember folks...it's a movie.

I swear some of the people who bash this movie because it involves God and faith remind me of the homophobes that bash gay people every chance they get, yet they're infact gay and just ashamed of it.

 

[SherEPunjab]

I didn't really like it much, at first, when i saw it in the theater with my friends.

Cheesy aliens (looked like guys in cheap green suits), wasn't that action packed or scary, and made Mel Gibson look like a wuss compared to his other works (mad max, lethal weapon series, Braveheart).

Thought nothing much of it, then went home. Few days later some co-workers were talking about it. About how deep and profound and all this crap the movie was. I nodded along, pretending I 'got it' too. I didn't want to feel like an idiot.

So anyways, I went home, hopped on the net and started reading up on how people interpreted it. Then I felt really stupid. I saw a movie about aliens, when it really had NOTHING to do with them. I need to see it again.

 

[0roo0roo]

only rational explanation i could come up with for the aliens is that they are like the predator aliens. they do stupid sh*t for sport.

 

[pulse8]

My main problem with this movie was that if the aliens were allergic to water, why did they land on a planet that's mostly water?

 

[Carbo]

The movie is a worthless POS. I'd rather watch Oprah reruns.

 

[flavio]

A good short read about Signs.

I think it really expresses some great points about the movie.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: pulse8
My main problem with this movie was that if the aliens were allergic to water, why did they land on a planet that's mostly water?

The aliens are nothing more than a MacGuffin or a plot device. If you look at how the movie begins and ends, it's clear that the real focus of the story is the Mel Gibson character's crisis of faith.

 

[StageLeft]

Yeah the movie was awesome.

 

[flavio]

Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw

Originally posted by: pulse8
My main problem with this movie was that if the aliens were allergic to water, why did they land on a planet that's mostly water?

The aliens are nothing more than a MacGuffin or a plot device. If you look at how the movie begins and ends, it's clear that the real focus of the story is the Mel Gibson character's crisis of faith.

I can't stand how everyone who like this movie expect you to just ignore all the alien stuff. I don't care if there is a cheesy plotline about his faith. You can't ignore this horrible supposed "filler".

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw

Originally posted by: pulse8
My main problem with this movie was that if the aliens were allergic to water, why did they land on a planet that's mostly water?

The aliens are nothing more than a MacGuffin or a plot device. If you look at how the movie begins and ends, it's clear that the real focus of the story is the Mel Gibson character's crisis of faith.

I understand the focus of the movie, but just because the movie isn't focused on that part of the story, doesn't mean it's alright if it makes absolutely no sense.