Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by purr1n, Jan 8, 2020.

  1. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    Well, it was crazy fun--until it wasn't. I was OK parking the car miles from the venue (the road was as good as closed, a tsunami of traffic)...the heat...the chaos. My friends and I got split up immediately and I never saw them again. OK, no biggie. Then the drugs (constant) and music. Damn, this is fun! I smoked dope in front of New York State troopers, also saw one or two with daisies in their rifle barrels--that kind of stuff really happened.

    All was well until the rain started. There was little to no food. No bathrooms. Even at the invincible age of 18, I felt like too much could go wrong. And then something did: all my wisdom teeth (which had been aching a bit) blew up into a real problem, with swollen face and serious pain. I lasted one long night in the rain and mud, then had to call that game. It took ~7 hrs go go the ~35 miles from Woodstock back to my house.

    If I'm really honest about it, Woodstock is way better as a memory than it was as a reality. Plus I later managed to see Jimi Hendrix (the star of the show for me) a couple times, so it all averaged out.

    PS: I should note that I saw many many people tripping on acid or mescaline and was offered countless doses of both. But I'd already had several acid trips (one extremely bad) and knew better than to trip under such random, uncontrolled circumstances. Several people I knew who did trip there took a long time coming back (in every sense of the phrase).
     
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    Last edited: Aug 7, 2022
  2. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Yea I took about 5 "trips" in college, all but one had plenty of downside as well as upside, though I only one was anxious enough to be "bad", and I don't think it was nearly as bad as it gets. 3 of them were at concerts (one Grateful Dead) , so not in any way a "controlled" environment ;) If only I had the wisdom I have now :)

    edit: watched Grey Man, and then For a Few Dollars More after which spoiled the experience for me - ha! You mentioned Hitler, but obviously Freddie Mercury crossbred with J. Edgar Hoover was the vibe they were going for and largely nailed...
     
  3. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    This might be the best actor interview I've ever listened to.



    It is very interesting contrasting these older, more soulful, philosophical actor interviews with the modern talk-show format garbage we get today, where people are talking about the most trite, boring shit you've ever heard.

    Alot of the older actors were more intellectual as well, and you see it on the older talk shows like Dick Cavett, which is a million miles away from shit like Jimmy Fallon. Today's stuff is way too focused on comedic banter and empty conversation.

    Some of the podcast stuff of today gets close, but you will still not hear a conversation like this on even the most loose and informal podcast, where they are always looking for an "angle" and don't let the person go deep... and alot of actors today just aren't capable of it anyway. Brando was special.

    Listening to it is great, but it also makes me very sad at the thought of how far we've fallen as a culture when it comes to the arts.... it is way too silly/entertainment focused. Deep stuff to be had here and there, but it is the fringe, not the norm.
     
  4. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    The incentive to be introspective and thoughtful publicly is at an all time low. There’s an entire industry predicated on parsing speech and ruining the careers of those who don’t strictly adhere to the current orthodoxy. I’m not saying the current crop of celebrities are secretly intellectual by any means but any intellectuals among them surely know it’s in their best interest to smile and nod and stfu.
     
  5. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Norm Macdonald was one such man (he died about a year ago). He had Jane Fonda on his show and she was claimed she "believed in Jesus" Norm asked her "Do you believe in the hypostatic Jesus?". She said "no" and he replied "So your not a Christian, but you believe in some vague 'something'" (I'm paraphrasing from memory here). You don't have to be religious to see he was a real thinker as it often came across in his comedy as well.
     
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  6. roughroad

    roughroad formerly mephisto56

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    Been watching The Orville per @purr1n's recommendation. I've watched part way through Season 2.

    That's most likely as far as I'll go with it. It's like watching a parody of ST:TNG, a show I did NOT particularly like. I was a huge fan of the OG ST series however.

    Also, The Orville just plain became too woke for me. I'm an old fuddy-duddy set in my old-fashioned ways, I guess. I am comfortable in the shoes I wear.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yeah, if you don't like ST:TNG, then Orville not a good idea. If you can't stand Family Guy, Orville seasons 1 and 2 are definitely a bad idea.

    There's nothing quite like ST:TOS. Maybe ST:SNW, but a few episodes could be way too woke.
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2022
  8. roshambo123

    roshambo123 Friend

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    Robert Eggers is the director M. Night Shyamalan always aspired to be but never became.
     
  9. roughroad

    roughroad formerly mephisto56

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    It seems I'm always behind the times. Such was the case with my discovery of the FX series Devs from 2020 shown on Hulu. IMO, it received a so-so rating of 7.7. I would have rated it at a solid 9.

    The acting was very solid, the script-writing was excellent. Perhaps it wasn't rated more positively due to its pacing. It is a slow burn, something I particularly like in shows. Also, it was a show that required some thinking, a trait that is not practiced as much now as in days past.

    I freely admit that I'm not the most philosophical person in the world. My son far surpasses me in that department. I did in fact recommend this show to him for the fact that it was heavy on the philosophy of determinism. He told me the show was "too simple for him" and he had it "all figured out" after watching one episode. While I disagree with his assessment, I don't count it as invalid.

    I watched Devs a couple of months ago. I still think about it quite a bit. Determinism is an interesting philosophical take on humanity. Not sure if I'm in full agreement with. I know I will watch this show again in the future. It needs to become available on DVD/BR.
     
  10. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Too bad about Ozark...

    Fantastic first two seasons. Season 3 was a letdown and I had actually written if off until I reignited by Netflix subscription.

    First half of season 4 was riveting. Then the plot holes become impossible to ignore, to the point where you realize the writers have absolutely no grasp of how reality works and the show has to be a long dream sequence. It's the only way Cartel heads and mob bosses walk into sketchy situations without body guards, how cops don't actually search the grounds where murders happen (otherwise they'd find major stashes of heroin), how pharmaceutical company heads casually make arrangements with drug dealers, how the FBI has zero common sense and lets criminals and housewives dictate their operational procedures, how people seem to have zero self preservation instincts and just casually walk around knowing the danger they're likely in without a care in the world.

    It's gotten to the point where I can't enjoy the drama the filmmakers want me to because the absurdity of the situation cannot be ignored and I can't suspend disbelief (which is what you need in order to create drama in the first place).
     
  11. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    Sounds like another example of "narrative fatigue," in which a given set of characters and plot situations simply run out of steam, even w/changing writers and directors.

    People strongly advised me to see OZARK; there are some terrific actors in it (I'm a longtime fan of Laura Linney) and the 8.5 IMDB rating is high, which usually indicates quality. But I just can't handle Jason Bateman in the lead role. He's been a decent comedic actor in several things, but I simply didn't believe him in OZARK. I tried, but never made it out of episode-1. I bought into everything in the show except his part (this is my problem & says nothing about the show).
     
  12. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Bateman is actually great in it. He is supposed to come across as out of his element, it's what makes alot of the show work.

    But S4 just destroyed any goodwill he built, because he's a non entity now, with the focus shifting to Linney's character. It is a woke plot development that ruined the show, because it's unbalanced now (Hollywood's new motto is that you can't have strong females without weak, ineffective, dumb and/or evil males).

    So I would say don't bother with Ozark, because it becomes unbearably stupid in S4.
     
  13. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    Actors get typecast, don’t forget Brian Cranston’s biggest role prior to Breaking Bad was Hal (the dad) on Malcolm in the Middle.

    Critics love woke shows but audiences often don’t follow, and the opposite is true as well, shows like The Terminal List are critical poison but the audience loves them. We’re probably going to see another critic/audience bloodbath with Amazon’s interpretation of Tolkien. If enough money is lost (e.g. Batgirl) then the studios that want to survive will change course.
     
  14. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    Finally saw a solid indie film the other day (that doesn't happen very often these days): EMILY THE CRIMINAL.

    I could poke a few holes in the plot but that's beside the point. This is a compelling character study of a young woman on the verge of real criminality, as well as rather scary violent behavior.

    Audrey Plaza was terrific in this. I've seen her act before (SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED; LEGION) and knew what she's capable of. Her very accomplished comedic background aside, her acting here is tense, unpredictable, and graphic in some moments. This character goes to dark places, and Plaza is so up to the challenge.

    I was also impressed with Theo Rossi in the key role opposite Plaza. I've seen him before but never paid attention--well, I'll be paying attention to him from now on. He underplays this role very nicely, IMO the perfect approach to his character arc in the story.

    Overall, it was such a relief to see a quality indie film like this, after plowing through a run of big-budget Hollywood trash for months now.
     
  15. roughroad

    roughroad formerly mephisto56

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    Has anyone here watched season 4 of Westworld? I enjoyed the first 2 seasons quite a bit, then season 3 turned into a steaming pile of poo. If nobody has, I will endeavor to persevere and report back.
     
  16. caute

    caute Lana Del Gayer than you

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    Any fans of Tarkovsky here?
     
  17. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Season 4 made season 3 look redeemable.
     
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  18. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Yep, Stalker, Solaris underappreciated gems.
     
  19. caute

    caute Lana Del Gayer than you

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    Andrei Rublev is in my top 10; Stalker, OG Solaris and Mirror are so, so good!
     
  20. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    In memory of an SBAF great who's currently on a break, and because manufacturer-provided loaner gear will no longer be reviewed in such terms, here's a summary of my impressions of Westworld season 4:

    [​IMG]
     

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