TV/Movies Megathread

[Ideologue]

I mean, the point of Syriana is that the oil economy has done a lot of harm and that Islam, the Arab elites, colonialism, and neocolonialism have fucked up the Middle East socioeconomically and politically.  There are ways to depict that in a story that don't involve a thriller plot about Alexander Siddig gettin' blowed up by an American Hellfire missile, with George Clooney, a killer looking for redemption, rushing to his (unfortunately belated) rescue.  But they're a lot less cinematic and a lot less interesting.

[Admiral Yi]

So do a thriller with a back story that makes at least an iota of sense.

[Ideologue]

It made a fair amount of sense.  The rightful heir, as selected by the dying emir, was Al Siddig's brother.  Al Siddig was launching a coup against a legitimate government and an American ally.  We blowed him up with a Hellfire missile, with the blessing of his brother, who just so happened to be far more amenable to the Connex-Killen deal.

And Dr. Bashir had been gathering his forces for some time.  They don't make a big deal out of it, but they mention it.  He's been acquiring arms.  Iirc, that's why he's in Beirut, when George Clooney is there to kill him but winds up kidnapped and tortured by the Iranian agent from New Jersey instead, because the Iranians are pro-Dr. Bashir, or just because Clooney exploded a few Iranian citizens in Tehran in the opening scene.  Hard to say.

[Admiral Yi]

  I don't remember anything about the arms, and I thought Dr. Bashir was the legitimate towelking who we offed so his greaseball brother would play kissy face with MobilHaliburtonCarlyle.

[Ideologue]

Nope.  Actually, when you get down to it, the other brother isn't even the emir.  Their father is dying, but he doesn't die; he just decides to stay in Spain, which at the time was not the living death we know it as today.  No, he's still the sovereign of their unnamed Arabistan.  He appoints his shitty son, Achugh al-Hefner, to be his regent.  So when Dr. Bashir is rolling toward the capital in his Range Rover with a dozen armed dudes and Jason Bourne in tow, he is actually overthrowing his father.  It's not just a succession crisis, it's a full-blown coup d'etat.

[Admiral Yi]

You sure? Then the yacht meeting with Baron von Trapp over ginormous snifters of brandy makes no sense.

[Ideologue]

They put pressure on the dying emir, the brothers' father, to name al-Hefner regent.

Connex-Killen were definitely involved in placing a friendly power on the Agraba throne.  But one presumes, if they had been unsuccessful, and the dying emir had resisted, and named Dr. Bashir his successor and regent, we would have not have assassinated the head of government of a sovereign country.  And I don't think Syriana supposes that.  It supposes only that we would kill the brother of the head of government of a sovereign country once he'd committed to undertaking an act of treason terrorism against an ally--that we were doing this for all the wrong reasons is the point, but I don't feel that it's quite as ridiculous as you say.

[Admiral Yi]

So that scene when Bashir gets hellfired, he's on his way to mount a coup in a convoy of THREE SUBURBANS?

Dude, how confident are you on these statements?

[Ideologue]

100% about the coup, 100% about the emir still being alive, 98% about the role of Christopher Plummer as a facilitator, 90% that they mentioned--in the scene where George Clooney is talking with his lady boss who's watching a slide show about Bashir--that he was in the process of buying weapons to arm his supporters with the Agraba Royal Army.

Anyway, I think it's unfair to ask for a column of tanks from a movie with a budget of--fifty million dollars?  Really?  WTF.  George Clooney paychecks ain't cheap I guess.  But yeah, he's definitely undertaking a coup.  Bashir has the support of nine of Agraba's twelve (or thirteen, I forget) generals.  I assume they were waiting at the palace and were going to let him in.  His brother is absolutely the lawful regent.

[Josephus]

So...Homeland. No discussion?

[Ed Anger]

So...Homeland. No discussion?

Claire Danes is a bit ugly

[Josephus]

So...Homeland. No discussion?

Claire Danes is a bit ugly

I'd hit it

[Sheilbh]

So...Homeland. No discussion?

Claire Danes is a bit ugly

I think it's because she's always weeping and is....not an attractive cryer

[Tonitrus]

Followed the first season, got intensely bored with the beginning of the second...dropped it from my DVR schedule.

[Ed Anger]

So...Homeland. No discussion?

Claire Danes is a bit ugly

I'd hit it

With a shovel