16 Responses for "Tiny Tempt: A Christmas Carol"

1. Rainer Golden May 18th, 2009 at 4:37 pm 1

   Oh god, gotta say that looks terrible. The animation looks awful.

2. Mike May 18th, 2009 at 4:38 pm 2

   Looks like a bad Playstation 2 game trailer.

3. Midy May 18th, 2009 at 4:42 pm 3

   Really disappointing. Carrey’s accent for Scrooge is ‘Van Dyke’ bad.

4. Ryan Adams May 18th, 2009 at 4:49 pm 4

   yeah, sucks how there are no actors from the UK.
   A Christmas Carol: Royally Scrooged

5. dela May 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pm 5

   It’s nice to see Carrey spreading his wings. It must be really hard being constantly associated with movies like The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine.

6. Jon May 18th, 2009 at 5:46 pm 6

   I kind of would have liked to see Christopher Lloyd in the lead role, but that would never get greenlit.

   Zemeckis really needs to go back and make a God damn live action film. You know, a film set on location with actors and doesn’t involve a blue screen. Absolutely ridiculous.

7. RRA is the AntiChrist (according to Afrika) May 18th, 2009 at 6:44 pm 7

   Jon = Shit man, how about Zemeckis just making a good relevant movie in general?

   A week or so ago, I finally caught ROMANCING THE STONE, which made Zemeckis’ directorial career….and I was caught with how Douglas and Turner had great chemistry in a gay fun adventure time.

   All which I dont associate with Zemeckis anymore. He’s dead to me as far as I’m concerned.

   And I agree with Midy: Van Dyke bad indeed.

8. Proman May 18th, 2009 at 7:15 pm 8

   “All which I dont associate with Zemeckis anymore. He’s dead to me as far as I’m concerned. ”

   Ouch RRA, that’s really uncalled for. This is the man who gave us “Back to the Future” and “1941″. You may not like the path he’s taken up now but still.

9. RRA's is Public Enemy #7 (Damn you Bin Laden you Showoff) May 18th, 2009 at 7:26 pm 9

   Proman – What you think was Zemeckis’ last good movie?

   The way I see it, Zemeckis once was a good filmmaker, behind good films like ROMANCING or BACK TO THE FUTURE series or USED CARS or ROGER RABBIT or his TRESPASS script with Bob Gale, or whatever…but last many years, he’s just been irrelevant. I mean POLAR EXPRESS? BEOWULF?

   Would you consider those last two worthy of someone that once was interesting as a filmmaker? I don’t.

   I remember liking CAST AWAY and WHAT LIES BENEATH, but both I saw in high school so I can’t say my opinions on them are exactly valid.

   Now CONTACT* I didn’t care for, and in retrospect FOREST GUMP is more and more not worthy of that 1994 Oscar, unlike say true classics like PULP FICTION or SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.

   But thast my 2 pennies.

   *=I’m sorta with the SOUTH PARK boys who despise it quite openly.

10. harry May 18th, 2009 at 8:24 pm 10

    I was not a fan of The Polar Express or Beowulf, but this story seems to actually fit the animation style in my estimation. Further, Jim Carrey’s potential as a motion capture character makes far and away more sense than Tom Hanks or Ray Winstone.

    Not sure if this movie is anywhere near must see for me, but I see it being maybe a step in the right direction.

11. Joe May 18th, 2009 at 9:58 pm 11

    @RAA: Your close mindedness hasn’t gone unnoticed. It would just be kind of you to end the blatant smear campaign. We’re all entitled to our opinion, though you are 100% negative and offer no insight. Especially coming from viewing a 19 second clip (which goes to show your ignorance).

12. RRA is quite Elementary May 18th, 2009 at 10:06 pm 12

    Joe – Close minded you say, recognization of pattern I say.

    If a guy borrows your car and wrecks it, would you give him the keys again? Much less he trash it twice?

    Who knows, maybe Zemeckis surprises the shit out of us and is back in form, and somehow the (pointless) motion-capture process of his is put to good narrative use. But I hate to expect him to avoid a strikeout.

    Its like Michael Bay movies, first few I….quite hated, lets put it that way simply. After PEARL HARBOR, I felt like an asshole for continuing to bitch about Bay, yet still pay to see his films. Thus I haven’t bothered to watch Bay’s movies in theatres starting with BAD BOYS II.

    I’ve seen his subsequent efforts either on TV or on DVD, which technically means I’m still playing to watch his pictures, so I guess I’m still a dick. I can’t escape that fate I guess. Regardless, nothing in BB2 or THE ISLAND or TRANSFORMERS have tempted me to change my theatrical policy regarding Baynito Michaelini.

    Lets put it this way Joe: I rather CAROL be a good movie and I have to publicly eat crow, chew my hat, and be made humble…then be proven right with a worthless picture. Does that make any sense?

13. Fivus Viener May 19th, 2009 at 6:54 am 13

    Why am I reminded of the Sims when seeing this? I would have preferred live action.

14. jwright40 May 19th, 2009 at 9:35 am 14

    14 posts in, in May, yet we’re already swinging wildly with the pendulum, insults fast & furious. Someone who is revolted by those 19 seconds is a close-minded twat, while someone who is intrigued is a chucklehead & a fool. Does that about cover it?

    RRA is not capable of a smear campaign since he or she is a (oft-present) commenter on a film blog. It’ll be fine. Given what I’ve seen of Zemeckis’s dalliance w/motion capture, this looks to me like a step in the wrong direction. Yes this is a brief clip, but a picture is worth a thousand words, am I right, and here is 19 seconds worth of pictures. The animation, especially facial movements, are hampered by that digital deadness from which Pixar has long since weaned us, and there’s nothing new to the way these characters are presented or drawn. I can’t imagine the point of this project in a broader context; it seems to exist solely to further what Zemeckis considers to be ground-breaking work. Shows how out of touch he is. LIke someone else said, wouldn’t it be nice if he (and Fincher while we’re at it) went back to making swift, efficient, live-action films. Suffice to say, assuming this film opens around the holidays, ‘Avatar’ (however well or poorly its story translates), will take ‘Carol’ to school. It’s not 2002 anymore kids.

15. MovieHouseGenesis May 19th, 2009 at 10:06 am 15

    Just a few short seconds and this movie clip has already confirmed Zemeckis and Carey have this Christmas Carol firing on all cylinders.

16. BJT May 19th, 2009 at 12:41 pm 16

    3 points:

    1. The deposit boxes swinging towards the screen are an obvious return to the 3D cliche of things coming towards you – let us hope this is not indicative of the entire piece as immersive 3D (Bolt, Up etc.) seems to be the future.

    2. The last line was actually very funny, both in the written form and in execution. If Zemeckis makes Dickens fun for contemporary youth, thereby enticing more younger people into reading the more prose heavy works that’s got to be a good thing.

    3. We’re still 170 days until it comes out, plenty of time to work on the final sheen and look of the picture. This is just a glimpse of the concept to whet the appetite.

    I’m assuming this will play with Up, can anyone confirm that?