Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

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

  1. Boops

    Boops Friend

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    Love your summary of Cameron.

    Yes everything was much improved. Maybe I'll see this one again in 2D. Ideally, It would be nice to see a 3D version but in standard frame rate all the way through. The version I saw occasionally dropped into this mode, but I couldn't tell what the rationale was.
     
  2. roughroad

    roughroad formerly mephisto56

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    Both my son and I thought the first Avatar sucked big time. The storyline with the bad vs. good was over-the-top stereotypical and overdone. I have no intention of seeing Avatar 2.
     
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  3. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    This guy does a pretty good job of breaking down why Cameron may be losing his marbles.
     
  4. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    Late to the party but just finished season 1 of "Only Murders In The Building" streaming in Hulu and it is good. Even the background score by Siddhartha Khosla adds so much to the story. Highly recommended
     
  5. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    I continue plowing through Season-4 of THE SINNER on Prime. I liked Seasons 1 & 2, but couldn't roll with 3 (still not sure how it ends). So far, Season-4 encapsulates all that is good and bad about this series.

    Let's get the bad out of the way first--this series is tense and slow, with the emphasis on slow. Often the combination works like magic, but if the tension flags or a particularly dense, slow scene goes on a minute too long, slow pulls ahead of tense and the whole thing clots up. It's a real balancing act, and some of the time it doesn't work.

    The good parts include the writing, which is quite perceptive in a sneaky way, always holding something back; and the acting by most of the leads, intense and heartfelt. In this town, everyone has heavy secrets. There are no happy characters here. The exception (IMO) is Percy Muldoon, the suicide victim who's at the center of the story. I'm not sure whether it's the writing of her a part or the acting by Alice Kremelberg, but often when she's in a scene, tense turns into slow.

    The acting of Bill Pullman in the lead role/all seasons deserves special mention. When he was younger and (I thought) miscast at times as a romantic lead, I found him to be somewhat squirrely, inclined to eye everything out of the corner of his eyes. There was a remove to him that did not inspire confidence in those '80s films. But now he's way older and his acting here is all squirrely & side-eye, all the time. Visible discomfort (both within himself and within the scenes) is the leading feature of this character. The variety of ways in which Pullman communicates inarticulate discomfort is dazzling. It probably sounds like I'm criticizing him, but actually, I often find myself admiring Pullman's acting and realization of this very stranger character.

    It doesn't hurt that he has numerous face-offs with vivid, talented actresses like Jessica Hecht and Frances Fisher who fire the discomfort right back at him. I'm also impressed by the acting of Mercedes de la Zerda and Cindy Cheung (the latter never disappoints).
     
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  6. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Did not finish Sinner S4, just awful. Started okay then quickly went downhill. They should put it out to pasture already.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    LOL. Fam and I did enjoy the IMAX 3D in CC TX*. That is we did not feel ripped off and got to see a spectacle, and spectacle it was. Quick takeaways:
    1. Basically the same movie as the first one, except at Sea World.
    2. Touches of Jurassic Park - the later one with the sea dinos.
    3. I liked the seeing the world, it only got tedious toward the end when it turned into Titanic, and then John Wick, and then The Poseidon Adventure.
    4. Final mano-a-mano was underwhelming. Jim Cameron has done much better, e.g. Terminator 2, Avatar 1, True Lies, etc.
    5. All white people (+ honorary Asian woman) are assholes of the highest magnitude. Like total assholes. Shitheads.
    6. Therefore it's completely justified to murder them in the most gruesome ways. Don't even think about it. Just kill them white people.
    7. Whales are smart. They compose music, are highly philosophical, and deeply spiritual. They've also completely renounced violence, well except for one.
    8. Something about the medicinal qualities of rhino horns and shark fins.
    9. The Steve Irvin guy who liked to stick his thumb up space whale butts, who deserved the best death ever, got the best death ever (probably in all of moviedom).
    10. While Jake and his wife were doing their John Wick thing, the water tribe people (who did come along with them for the final attack) were nowhere to be seen. I guess they went home early. I thought Cameron paid attention to stuff like this, oh wait, was thinking Kubrick.
    11. Everything needs to explode when it crashes. Almost everything as there were a few exceptions.
    12. It takes a white man who learns the Red, um, I mean the Blue, and Turquoise man's way to save the Blue and Green man.
    13. This was 3D done right. Not 3D in post after the movie is done.
    *The best screen in town. Generally the theaters here suck. The "big" IMAX here is about the size of most screens used for tentpole films in Cali. Also, Dolby Atmos sound > IMAX sound.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2022
  8. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    There's definitely some obvious "white saviorism" going on with the Avatar movies, but there's also "white demonism" as well (all the white people (except the bad guy's son and whale-study-man) are pure evil)... as if Cameron wants to have his cake and eat it.

    I worry about the future generation of filmmakers, because beside the aging Cameron, Spielberg, Nolan, Fincher, Scorsese and Tarantino (who is about to retire), there's no one with their kind of autonomy making large canvas (read: proper budget) movies, everyone else has to make generic, shovelware Marvel or DC movies if they wanna work. The aforementioned filmmakers have one thing in common... they're not woke and don't really give a shit about any of that (except maybe Spielberg, who's got black kids and is the face of the business so he kind of has to act a little bit woke), and surprise! They make the best movies... I'm a sensing a pattern here.

    I see little evidence of anyone suitable enough to replace them. Most of the new guys are very talented, but I think the business is no longer suitable to make the kind of original groundbreaking films the old era seemed to pump out fairly frequently. Studios are too focused on existing IPs to allow new ones to be created.
     
  9. rfernand

    rfernand Almost "Made"

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    Avatar The Way or Water was indeed a test of endurance. 3+ hours of running water while drinking soda… man, the entire theater needed an intermission. I don’t think a single soul stayed seated without visiting the loo and pretending to wash their hands in case they missed something important (you won’t, the most important thing is the first 10 minutes, the rest gets re-exposed multiple times).

    THE GOOD
    - The money is all on the screen. This is a gorgeous thing to look at.
    - Greatest hits from James Cameron. Every f'ing movie he’s made gets referenced here. And yes I’m counting teenage girl freaking out as a True Lies reference. Trust me, I thought about it over a beer while channeling my immature teenage spirit. Aliens. The Abyss. Titanic. Terminator One. Terminator Deux. All of them.
    - It entertains without getting dizzy.
    - The whales are cool.

    THE BAD
    - Preachy! Seriously, no need to go full Tár, but can I at least have some room to say “Hey, the humans have a point!”?
    - A Pixar movie has more plot and depth and is usually 90 minutes. Just sayin’. Also pretty to look at.
    - Of course I care about what’s his name and also what’s her name and the other one. (Character names and arcs are… forgettable.)
    - The villain(s) and how a particular one’s arc “ends”.
    - No unobtanium this time. But the McGuffin and motivation are a downer for many reasons.

    THE UGLY
    - Hard to get excited about what’s next. Avatar: Way More Water? Avatar: FIRE! FIRE! I AM CORNHOLIO! FireeeeeEEEE!? Avatar: The Blue Man Group Are The Assholes Now? We’ll see. There’s a very long story Cameron wants to tell and it’s hard to imagine if it’ll be worth it. I didn’t need the sequel but it’s not enough to bother me for existing.

    The WTF
    - Kate Winslet is in this, and Sigourney Weaver played two characters! (Without digital voice!) WTF!

    Should you watch it? There’s nothing interesting in the theaters until February, might as well watch it once. You won’t be bored. But you’re not going to buy the soundtrack, a poster, change your email signature to quote this thing, or watch it again unless you’re stuck in a 12 hour flight and that’s the only thing they have.
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2023
  10. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Andrej Zulawski's POSSESSION, one of my favorite horror movies is finally on Shudder (which you can get through Prime video as well) in a recent 4K restoration. The film was banned upon release in 1981 and it is easy to see why when you watch it.

    It's a film that doesn't get enough attention IMO, though it is a cult classic. It's a film you have to be very careful with recommending, as it's hard to watch casually, since it is so emotionally draining/psychically scarring.

    Sam Neil is very very far from his Jurassic Park performances, delivering a dazzling tour de force any actor would be lucky to have on their resume. Isabelle Adjani is... this is the kind of performance that doesn't feel like a performance, but more of a display of madness. She seemed to tap into something few actors are brave enough to do and the THAT SCENE (in the subway) will haunt you.

    The film has this relentless, intense pacing that you generally don't seen in horror movies and the scenes of domestic squabbling between the two leads makes Netflix's recent MARRIAGE STORY come off like a kids movie in comparison. The camerawork is incredible, with this insane high wire act visual choreography that is in nearly every scene and would be the envy of any Hollywood director. There is this hard to describe tonal madness that permeates the entire film and a stiff adult beverage may be needed to sit through it.

    I have to be careful when I watch it because I can't watch any other horror movies like a week after, it's that intense.... it really sticks with you, and the bizarre creature that is unexplained isn't seen much but it stands out in some truly WTF scenes. It's not really a horror movie in the traditional sense... the horror is in the psychic violence that kind of attacks the viewer and catches them off guard.

    I would recommend people watch this at least once just to experience what the medium of film is capable of, because Hollywood certainly doesn't know what to do with it.

     
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  11. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    I'm not sure I could handle this material (read quite a bit about the film back in the day). This is very dark, female-driven psychological horror of the type found in REPULSION and HOUR OF THE WOLF.

    I'm a big fan of Isabelle Adjani. Saw her in memorable French films, including ONE DEADLY SUMMER a couple years after POSSESSION. She was beautiful and utterly fearless, willing to put her beauty in play in the most perverse characters and plots imaginable.

    Two years before POSSESSION she was in NOSFERATU, THE VAMPIRE, another unforgettable (and perverse) role.
     
  12. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    The wife and I got around to watching Glass Onion last night. Silly and sometimes clever fun. Daniel Craig was great. his character spoiling things at the dinner had me rolling. Janelle Monae was good too I haven’t seen Knives Out but now we plan on watching that.
     
  13. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    [​IMG]
    The Banshees of Inisherin
    (3.5/4)*

    Whimsical and humorous while scarily barely hovering over crushing depression. Characters seeking meaning in life and bare essential distraction from inevitable death.

    Half a point docked because abstract ending when I wanted or expected a more conclusive resolution.
    4/4 = recommended
    3/4 = recommended with caveats
    2/4 = average, not worth watching
    1/4 = trash
     
  14. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    I forgot to include the trailer which is worth a watch. The trailer comes off as a light comedy, drama, and buddy film. It is that but you later find also quite poignant and themes universal.
     
  15. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    [​IMG]

    I finally got to see TAR... Todd Field's return to cinema after a 16 year absence (his last movie was the excellent LITTLE CHILDREN). He's a filmmaker I always greatly admired since his stunning debut film IN THE BEDROOM. He started as an actor, probably most famously as the piano player in EYES WIDE SHUT, and gravitated towards writing and directing. And interestingly enough, Kubrick's DNA remains embedded in Field's work, and you see this most starkly in TAR.

    TAR was actually a tough watch at first, the film is shockingly austere and uncompromising in its formalism. The film actually starts with what is typically the end credit sequence, done in various title cards. There are VERY long scenes where the camera work is extremely minimal, with pages and pages and pages of dialogue that felt like some editing was badly needed... until you realize this is all completely deliberate and the nature of the film is just as much about what ISN'T said and ISN'T shown.

    It took me a while to get with the film's rhythm, but when I did I was fully on the board and realized I was watching probably the best film of the year. Certainly the best I've seen all year and kind of embarrasses most modern American filmmakers and shows just how lacking the form has become under what is a very commercialized industry. The production company/financier completely left Field alone to make the movie he wanted, and it really shows. There's a stunning sequence early on, done in a single take with multiple camera setups that is breathtaking, probably the highlight of the movie (in terms of mise en scene).

    One of the barriers of entry for alot of people is going to be how the film refuses to provide easy answers to anything that's going on. It's like being a fly on the wall of the classical music industry, with little to no context for what is being said... but the film brilliantly lays out all the answers in ways that forces you to pay attention, as the film goes along... a subtle look here, a subtle gesture there, a quick piece of dialogue that doesn't become important until later, etc. and eventually you start to understand what's happening through pure deductive logic... the film is like an intricate puzzle.

    Cate Blanchett turns in a career making performance, among a sea of other great performances she's done in the past... she is absolutely riveting, and every other best actress Oscar candidate might as well not even show up.

    In a thematic sense, it's actually a stunning indictment of cancel culture, using one of the oldest artistic forms to comment on a very modern social problem. But more than that, it's a completely engrossing character study of a tragic figure.

    This is all to the say the film is completely worth watching, with the warning that you will have to switch up the way you normally consume "content" to experience this the way the filmmaker intended... no phone browsing, no nodding off, making sure to pause for any bathroom breaks. And you will be rewarded by the best American film of the year IMO.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2023
  16. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    Well that’s basically modern liberalism isn’t it? After they found out poor people generally hated them and the class struggle they switched to identity politics and unironically proclaimed white people and “culture” (though really it’s American culture) bad whilst mostly being white themselves.

    This is the problem, studios are more concerned about appealing to the masses while pumping up ESG scores and not offending anyone. When has any piece of art ever been meant to appeal to everyone? Why would we even want that? In a few years though I’m sure the only choice is likely to be watching AI generated scripts, probably with AI generated actors, that’ll pass by like highway hypnosis.

    As for Avatar specifically I will say that while I really liked it (extended extra smurfy edition) when I first saw it a recent rewatch left me less impressed and I just don’t have the patience for a 3 hour movie anymore. Brevity is the soul of wit and needless exposition and scenery doesn’t usually make things better, just longer.
     
  17. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    They used to be. Something changed in the last several years.

    Hollywood lost nearly half it's valuation in 2022. HALF. Marvel and DC movies are bombing. People are cancelling their streaming services or just not watching. Part of it is the recession, part of it is woke garbage that focuses on identity politics and not storytelling. I tend to not blame the recession much though, because Hollywood boomed during the great depression... people wanted escapism from the misery and movies provided that. Today, movies only tell you how much you suck if you're the wrong color, or don't have the same political leanings as the filmmakers and studio. And if you're a fan of a beloved property, you're a piece of shit if you want them to remain faithful to the source material.

    Weirdly studios do not seem interested in the masses anymore, but only a small sliver of twitter bots (real or human, they are basically the same thing) who swarm anything non-woke like a colony of fire ants. I have no idea what the studios are thinking, because they are clearly losing tons of money because of all this.

    Some studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount are returning to sanity. But most other studios seem to be doubling down on the insanity.
     
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  18. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Oh and Avatar 2 has already made $1.7 Billion. A movie that actually values story over politics? What a coincidence. Not the best movie, but it's a palette cleanser for people sick of studio programming.
     
  19. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    I worded that poorly, by appealing to the masses I meant aimed at a worldwide audience where not conflicting with the myriad different cultures means stories get homogenized to the point they’re bland enough not to offend anyone. Problem is they don’t often entertain them either.

    As I’m sure you know even big production companies are reliant on outside funding for projects, the ascendance of ESG means that you’re much more likely to get that wad of cash from Big Money if you make a movie that meets the environmental and social litmus tests.
     
  20. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Yeah that's clearer now. I know what you mean. Yes, Hollywood has done that for decades.

    Unfortunately they've diluted that formula, since their strong political bias automatically excludes large swaths of audiences now. Hollywood has always been political but they've managed to be pretty subtle about it up until now. True homogeny is not strongly biased in one direction or another. The ESG/DEI nonsense is a big part of it... but what works for hiring practices and corporate governance does not necessarily translate to storytelling for general audiences, who do not care about any of that shit. They want to be entertained without judgement.
     

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