TV/Movies Megathread

[Malthus]

Just read some trivia about the old Dune movie:

The suits worn by the Guild members were body bags that were found in a disused fire station dating back to the early 1920s. The bags had actually been used several times, something that was kept from the cast members until after shooting was completed.

Reminds me how when I was a kid I went to a downtown summer arts camp - that was located inside the old city morgue.

Had no idea at the time, it took a while before I realized why the place had such odd furnishings - the big marble tables we did crafts on with the carved gutters ... the giant stainless steel refrigerators we kept our lunches in ...

[Savonarola]

That being said I thought the scaffold scenes was one of the better martial arts brawls in western cinema and the bus scene was well done.

Less balletic, but I still put the Crazy 88 fight on top.

Yes, I think that's the best out of western cinema, (and even better than anything in any of the Sonny Chiba films I've seen.)  I'd put the dojo scene from "The Matrix" at number two. 

[viper37]

Just read some trivia about the old Dune movie:

The suits worn by the Guild members were body bags that were found in a disused fire station dating back to the early 1920s. The bags had actually been used several times, something that was kept from the cast members until after shooting was completed.

Reminds me how when I was a kid I went to a downtown summer arts camp - that was located inside the old city morgue.

Had no idea at the time, it took a while before I realized why the place had such odd furnishings - the big marble tables we did crafts on with the carved gutters ... the giant stainless steel refrigerators we kept our lunches in ...

lol
They should have told you right after you ate your lunch

[Admiral Yi]

The Forgotten Battle on Netflix.  Dutch production looks like, mostly in Dutch, some English, some German.

Telegraphed love triangle between Dutch girl (pretty cute) who's father is a doctor working for the German occupiers, and who's brother is wanted by the Germans for causing the death of 3 soldiers, and a Dutch national who volunteered for the German army, fought on the Eastern Front, has grown somewhat dissillusioned with the cause and has gotten a clerk posting in the office of the German commander of the area where this takes place after getting wounded, and an immature English virgin glider co-pilot who gets shot up by flak and crash lands in Zeeland.

All taking place in the context of Market  Garden.

It's holding my attention so far, no soul sucking cringe moments.

[jimmy olsen]

The Forgotten Battle on Netflix.  Dutch production looks like, mostly in Dutch, some English, some German.

Telegraphed love triangle between Dutch girl (pretty cute) who's father is a doctor working for the German occupiers, and who's brother is wanted by the Germans for causing the death of 3 soldiers, and a Dutch national who volunteered for the German army, fought on the Eastern Front, has grown somewhat dissillusioned with the cause and has gotten a clerk posting in the office of the German commander of the area where this takes place after getting wounded, and an immature English virgin glider co-pilot who gets shot up by flak and crash lands in Zeeland.

All taking place in the context of Market  Garden.

It's holding my attention so far, no soul sucking cringe moments.

Who got the girl?

[Jacob]

If Admiral Yi thinks the show is good, maybe he doesn't want to spoiler it?

[Admiral Yi]

Still watching.

My money is on some Casablanca style noble sacrifice.  The Dutch nazi bows out and lets the English dude have her.

[Eddie Teach]

I saw that one. Didn't really think of it as a love triangle, there's so much other stuff happening.

[Maladict]

Is it that movie about the Battle of the Scheldt? I've heard mixed reviews, which admittedly is the best one can hope for in Dutch production.

[Admiral Yi]

Is it that movie about the Battle of the Scheldt? I've heard mixed reviews, which admittedly is the best one can hope for in Dutch production.

It's a little confusing because they explicitly say it takes place on Walcheren, but the glider pilot was part of the Market Garden drop.  That's a pretty long distance isn't it?

[crazy canuck]

The glider crew gets shot down near the coast before they get anywhere near their market garden drop zone.


You are adding bits of the story that are not there.  There is no romantic triangle.  There are three different story lines that show the tragedy of the war and of that particular battle.  One thing that did confuse me is the movie has Canadian troops using American vehicles in Holland - did that happen?

[grumbler]

One thing that did confuse me is the movie has Canadian troops using American vehicles in Holland - did that happen?

Yes.  The British also used a lot of American vehicles (sometimes, like with the Sherman Firefly, with their own superior modifications). 

[crazy canuck]

One thing that did confuse me is the movie has Canadian troops using American vehicles in Holland - did that happen?

Yes.  The British also used a lot of American vehicles (sometimes, like with the Sherman Firefly, with their own superior modifications).

Interesting.  Many thanks 

[Savonarola]

The Kid (1921)

Charlie Chaplin's first feature length movie.  Since his Mutual days Chaplin had seemed ready to move on from shorts into feature length; but he still doesn't quite have it quite right yet.  The ending seems rushed and the emotional climax is too early in the film (when the kid is about to be sent to the workhouse.)

Jackie Coogan is the kid; his step-father and mother spent all his money and congress passed a law to protect child actors called "Coogan's Bill."  This is also why Coogan had to keep working as an adult, becoming Uncle Fester in The Addams Family.

There's a dream sequence where the Tramp is "Vamped" by a young girl (12 year old Lita Grey) and pursues her.  Even accepting that the 1920s were a different time and if the Tramp had been played by someone else that scene would still be weird.  That it was Chaplin makes the scene really creepy.  What makes it worse is that Lita was his second wife; though they didn't start dating at the time.  Always the gentleman, Chaplin waited two years when they met again while he was casting "The Gold Rush."

[Admiral Yi]

[spoiler]Dang, I wasn't totally wrong with my guess.[/spoiler]

The Forgotten Battle is not a good movie.  Watchable for novelty value.