Number one son and I went to see the Project Hail Mary movie today.
4.5 stars out of 5 stars. Now I need to reread the book. And yes, the
book is on my six star list. And Rocky was just the way I envisioned
him.
Lynn
Number one son and I went to see the Project Hail Mary movie today. 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. Now I need to reread the book. And yes, the book
is on my six star list. And Rocky was just the way I envisioned him.
Lynn, was the puppetry convincing? I always pictured Rocky as
more abstract - hard to imagine a physical puppet capturing the
right balance of alien and expressive.
On 2026-04-04, Lev <thresh3@fastmail.com> wrote:
Lynn, was the puppetry convincing? I always pictured Rocky as
more abstract - hard to imagine a physical puppet capturing the
right balance of alien and expressive.
I thought Rocky was very convincing. This may be aided by the lack
of a reference point. If you portray a cat with a puppet, any movie
goer will know how an actual cat moves. Rocky is sufficiently alien
that there is little to compare him to. One problem with CGI is
that you may end up with something that moves in ways objects don't
move, where things just aren't right about mass distribution or
joints or whatever and it just looks fake. A physical puppet by
necessity moves like a physical object. A minor quibble would be
that I wonder how Rocky's fine motor skills work, how he manipulates
small things, since his appendages appear too stumpy.
On 4/4/2026 8:20 AM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
On 2026-04-04, Lev <thresh3@fastmail.com> wrote:Rocky is shown "weaving" a metal chain, showing good fine motor skills.
Lynn, was the puppetry convincing? I always pictured Rocky as
more abstract - hard to imagine a physical puppet capturing the
right balance of alien and expressive.
I thought Rocky was very convincing.˙ This may be aided by the lack
of a reference point.˙ If you portray a cat with a puppet, any movie
goer will know how an actual cat moves.˙ Rocky is sufficiently alien
that there is little to compare him to.˙ One problem with CGI is
that you may end up with something that moves in ways objects don't
move, where things just aren't right about mass distribution or
joints or whatever and it just looks fake.˙ A physical puppet by
necessity moves like a physical object.˙ A minor quibble would be
that I wonder how Rocky's fine motor skills work, how he manipulates
small things, since his appendages appear too stumpy.
At least if you consider a spider weaving a web to be showing good fine motor skills.
On 4/4/2026 11:24 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 4/4/2026 8:20 AM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
On 2026-04-04, Lev <thresh3@fastmail.com> wrote:Rocky is shown "weaving" a metal chain, showing good fine motor
Lynn, was the puppetry convincing? I always pictured Rocky as
more abstract - hard to imagine a physical puppet capturing the
right balance of alien and expressive.
I thought Rocky was very convincing.˙ This may be aided by the lack
of a reference point.˙ If you portray a cat with a puppet, any movie
goer will know how an actual cat moves.˙ Rocky is sufficiently alien
that there is little to compare him to.˙ One problem with CGI is
that you may end up with something that moves in ways objects don't
move, where things just aren't right about mass distribution or
joints or whatever and it just looks fake.˙ A physical puppet by
necessity moves like a physical object.˙ A minor quibble would be
that I wonder how Rocky's fine motor skills work, how he manipulates
small things, since his appendages appear too stumpy.
skills. At least if you consider a spider weaving a web to be showing
good fine motor skills.
An eyeless rock spider at that.˙ Very convincing.
On 4/6/2026 2:29 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 4/4/2026 11:24 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:Rocky "sees", just not in the human visible wavelengths.
On 4/4/2026 8:20 AM, Christian Weisgerber wrote:
On 2026-04-04, Lev <thresh3@fastmail.com> wrote:Rocky is shown "weaving" a metal chain, showing good fine motor
Lynn, was the puppetry convincing? I always pictured Rocky as
more abstract - hard to imagine a physical puppet capturing the
right balance of alien and expressive.
I thought Rocky was very convincing.˙ This may be aided by the lack
of a reference point.˙ If you portray a cat with a puppet, any movie
goer will know how an actual cat moves.˙ Rocky is sufficiently alien
that there is little to compare him to.˙ One problem with CGI is
that you may end up with something that moves in ways objects don't
move, where things just aren't right about mass distribution or
joints or whatever and it just looks fake.˙ A physical puppet by
necessity moves like a physical object.˙ A minor quibble would be
that I wonder how Rocky's fine motor skills work, how he manipulates
small things, since his appendages appear too stumpy.
skills. At least if you consider a spider weaving a web to be showing
good fine motor skills.
An eyeless rock spider at that.˙ Very convincing.
On 2026-04-04, Lev <thresh3@fastmail.com> wrote:
Lynn, was the puppetry convincing? I always pictured Rocky as
more abstract - hard to imagine a physical puppet capturing the
right balance of alien and expressive.
I thought Rocky was very convincing. This may be aided by the lack
of a reference point. If you portray a cat with a puppet, any movie
goer will know how an actual cat moves. Rocky is sufficiently alien
that there is little to compare him to. One problem with CGI is
that you may end up with something that moves in ways objects don't
move, where things just aren't right about mass distribution or
joints or whatever and it just looks fake. A physical puppet by
necessity moves like a physical object. A minor quibble would be
that I wonder how Rocky's fine motor skills work, how he manipulates
small things, since his appendages appear too stumpy.
On Fri, 3 Apr 2026 22:27:44 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Number one son and I went to see the Project Hail Mary movie today. 4.5
stars out of 5 stars. Now I need to reread the book. And yes, the book
is on my six star list. And Rocky was just the way I envisioned him.
Adriaaaaaaaan!
Loved the old movie references (which my 25yo godchild didn't catch :-).
I read the book PROJECT HAIL MARY a year or more ago and I loved it. Our
sun is dying and humanity places all its hopes in a last-ditch one-shot scientific endeavor. What a terrific adventure it was! As I recall, I
knew nothing about it beforehand other than that it was good and that it
was by Andy Weir, the guy who had written THE MARTIAN. Of course I gave
it a chance and I became enthusiastically caught up in the story as it unfolded across the galaxy. I never knew what was going to happen next
and I reveled in every unexpected twist and turn and breathtaking
revelation. The book was great fun.
...
The movie has received high praise and I understand why. The stakes
involve the survival of humanity, it?s tense, it?s amusing, and it is
nicely cast and uniformly well acted. It is very well done and amazing
to look at in places. I wasn?t totally disappointed. But still.
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the
Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the
Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team. My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
--scott
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team. My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
--scott
On 4/12/2026 8:07 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team. My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
...and, arguably, irreligious.
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the
Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team. My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
--scott
Right. One of the most famous such plays was Doug Flutie's touchdown
pass for Boston College. It made him a household name at the time and cemented his Heisman Trophy win.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Flutie>
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time.
On 2026-04-12, Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time.
I don't know if the expression originated in American football, but
if so, it has since spread to other sports ("Anderson Silva pulled
off this Hail Mary submission vs Chael Sonnen"), military contexts,
and beyond.
Right. One of the most famous such plays was Doug Flutie's touchdown
pass for Boston College. It made him a household name at the time and cemented his Heisman Trophy win.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Flutie>
On 4/12/2026 8:07 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the
Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team. My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
--scott
...and, arguably, irreligious.
moviePig <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote:
On 4/12/2026 8:07 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team. My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
...and, arguably, irreligious.
You underestimate the degree to which football is a religion in itself
here.
--scott
On 2026-04-12 18:41:24 +0000, moviePig said:
On 4/12/2026 8:07 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Charles Packer˙ <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the
Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference.˙ A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time.˙ I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team.˙ My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
--scott
...and, arguably, irreligious.
It is religious in origin and comes from people saying a prayer
(sometimes the "Hail Mary" specifically) before attempting something
thought impossible.
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team.
My father was a massive fan of American
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
--scott
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but I've read the
Wikipedia page and watched the trailers. What is the likelihood
the the title is intended as a religous message in the book?
In the movie?
It is a religious football reference. A "Hail Mary" play is a long
pass made out of desperation; a play that isn't expected to actually
work but is the only alternative at the time. I think the name comes
from the Notre Dame team.
football and it made me realize how many football terms leak into our
common language.
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