TV/Movies Megathread

[Ideologue]

I decided to watch Fantasia 2000 instead, and then Harakiri.

Will Raz be your second?

I took his topknot.

[Darth Wagtaros]

I want Song of the South.

I could be mistaken, but I think I saw that in a theater. When did it come out?

I saw it too inthe 80s.

[Josquius]

The Station Agent- Tyrion is an anti-social dick who is into trains. Good reviews but I don't get it.
One annoying thing in this film is throughout the whole thing there is bird song which sounds just like my alarm clock. I kept thinking 'eh? did I set my alarm wrong?'

[lustindarkness]

I want Song of the South.

I may or may not have it, I'll check when I get home tonight.

[viper37]

Anyone else here seen Byzantium?  I liked it quite a bit, unsurprisingly.  Gemma Arterton's body somehow seems impossible. 

Saw it, totally boring.  Vampires with no fangs?  Doesn't work for me.  Plus, I didn't like how this whole story was told, no emotions, no passion, no action, no nothing.

[Savonarola]

Son of Tarzan (1920)

This is a serial of the Amazing Jungle Romance! by Edgar Rice Burroughs; made by poverty row studio National Film Corporation of America.  Tarzan (played by P. Dempsey Tabler who resembles Fat Elvis much more than he does Tarzan) and Jane have left Africa for England.  They have a son, whom Jane insists must never learn about Tarzan's life in the jungle.  Naturally the boy becomes obsessed with the jungle, and sneaks out to see a music hall act featuring an ape.  The ape was one of Tarzan's tribe and the trainer was Ivan Paulovich, an evil Russian (but, I repeat myself) who has sworn revenge on Tarzan.  He kidnaps the boy and through a series of missteps both end up in Africa though apart.  There all sorts of adventures occur: Ivory Smugglers! Cannibals! A Vengeful Sheik! A Pretty Jungle Maiden! and much more populate the wilds of Africa in the stories many twists and turns.  Eventually Fat Tarzan returns and is once again King of the Jungle.

The direction in these films leaves something to be desired; the director just nails the camera down and lets the scene play out.  There are cross cuts, but with a static camera and everything shot in medium focus, they seem to be taking place in different films (and interspersed with stock footage.)

Unlike in the later Johnny Weissmuller films, the black natives aren't evil and the climax isn't Tarzan beating up all the black people.  Instead the black Africans are simply minions some who work for Tarzan, others who work for the various white villains.  This might not be more racist, but it does make the black Africans even more marginal then they will be later.

Inexplicably Tarzan and Jane are referred to as Lord and Lady Greystone rather than Greystoke.  It makes them sound like Harry Blackstone's neutral-aligned cousin.

[Admiral Yi]

I thought Tarzan *did* inherit some title.

[Savonarola]

I thought Tarzan *did* inherit some title.

Yes he's Lord Greystoke; the title cards referred to him as Lord Greystone.

[Admiral Yi]

[viper37]

Saw the premiere for Intelligence.

I think this show really has potential.  It seems to occupy NCIS: LA timespot for now, but that's likely to change.

The story is that of a CIA Agent (Josh Holloway, from Lost and C&C 3), well, technically US Cybercom division.  This agent is implanted with a chip that turns him into a computer, able to hack computers, control some electronic devices through bluetooth, search the internet and any database available to US intelligence agencies.

Assigned to him is a Secret Service agent (Meghan Ory, a cuty that will look better come 2nd season, once she can afford a sandwich or two) in charge of his personal protection, as his boss believes his chip needs protection.

Looking up on her, it seems she is a canadian actress and she played in Vampire High while younger.

Anyhow, at this point, there's enough on the table to make a good show.  The acting is above that of the black list (from Meghan Ory's part, at least, and did I say she was cute?), there's potential for a very good story with some underlying elements.  It really depends if they throw everything overboard in favour of the weekly case syndrome or if they do something with this.

[viper37]

The lady in question.


Killer eyes, I like that.

[Sophie Scholl]

She also played Little Red Riding Hood/The Wolf in Once Upon a Time.  Definitely cute.

[Razgovory]

I decided to watch Fantasia 2000 instead, and then Harakiri.

Will Raz be your second?

I took his topknot.

So that's why I keep tripping over my untied shoes.

[Savonarola]

Suds (1920)

In 1918 Mary Pickford made a film called "Stella Maris" in which she plays two roles, a lovely invalid and a homely maid.  In this film the homely maid make up is reused, and Mary plays an ugly cockney washerwoman.  The plot wanders about quite, it mostly serves as a backdrop for Mary to clown around.  She does so quite a bit, going so far as to put a horse in curlers and ride the horse around her apartment.

The setting is remarkable; the studio did an incredible job of recreating London's East End in a Hollywood lot.

[viper37]

Helfer, Texas Ranger

We follow Tricia Helfer, as a Texas Ranger, during 8 weeks for wich she will aprehend 8 different Killer Woman (the exact title of the show).  She's smart, she's beautiful, she's tough and she knows how to handle a gun.  The perfect American women (except she's really a Canadian).

So, what's wrong in the show?  In the first ep, she's seen handling her personal life: brother, sister in law that wants her more feminine, little niece who asks questions she shouldn't ask, job related stress, illegally crossing the border to Mexico in order to free hostages and solve a case.

This is what's wrong, unfortunately, it's all Déjà vu in a bunch of similar themed tv shows.  Sure, she's a good actress, she's proven it since Battlestar Galactica (it's ok Neil, she's not the one doing Starbuck ).  The problem is not with her or the cast, just the stories and the way they're presented.  I don't think I'll watch the 2nd episode.

Btw, I've thrown the ball on Almost Human.