TV/Movies Megathread

[celedhring]

I wanted to make it to the iconic "swirling swords display and anti-climatic shooting" scene, but we just couldn't care enough about anything that happened.

Good thing you did, since that bit is in another movie 

I like Temple. Once they do away with all the horrible palace business, it's a roller-coaster (quite literally, even).

[Grey Fox]

This is based on Clavell's book, I assume (since his name doesn't appear in the trailer)?

I remember watching that as a young lad, setting off a long lasting fascination with Japan for me (and about half of the rest of the West at the time, it seems).

Looks like they've added more female fighting bad-assery than the book and the original TV series did - which makes sense given modern audience tastes.

Maybe if it's successful, we'll see a transition from vikings back to samurai as the main flavour of "exotic yet relatable setting for 'historical' sword and honour fantasy".

Where is the series showing?

In Canada, it will be on the Star side of Disney+.

[Maladict]

Started watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with the boy the other day. We made it about halfway through before we stopped.

I don't think the film holds up - giving the "Star Wars comical/ exotic aliens" treatment to Indians and Chinese falls rather flat - it plays at the same range as Breakfast at Tiffany's + some shallow mysticism. The female lead being annoying-selfish-and-two-dimensional-played-for-laughs succeeds only at being tedious and annoying. I know it's supposed to be pulp, but even so Indiana Jones does not come across as a compelling archeologist.

I wanted to make it to the iconic "swirling swords display and anti-climatic shooting" scene, but we just couldn't care enough about anything that happened. It probably doesn't help that action-adventure pacing in the 2020s is faster than it was in the 1980s.

When I watched it as a kid it was all about the heart ripping scene, that was scary as hell.

[Josquius]

It is amazing how the world has shrunk and culturally converged so much over the spell of a millenials life time.

I've been watching the snowpiercer series. Gave it a break between 2 and 3 and back to it now.
It's good but... It is interesting how such a hidden away no name show has really decent and credible stars in supporting roles.
And Ruth's accent confuses me.

[Savonarola]

Started watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with the boy the other day.

Monster 

Children should see the real Busby Berkely dance numbers, not Steven Spielberg's pathetic poverty-row watered down version.      

 

[Savonarola]

On that subject, I did just watch "The Harvey Girls," (1946) which was directed by Busby Berkely (though it wasn't one of the over-the-top dance extravaganzas he made in the 30s.)  This one is even lighter on plot then most musicals of the era to the point that the character's motivations don't even make sense.  There are some casting issues in this one as well; for one thing Angela Lansbury is the bad girl.

One of the "Goofs" on IMDB is that the songs in the film were from the then present day, rather than when the film was set (in the 1890s.)  I thought that was funny.  An entire frontier town in the west and the passengers on a recently arriving train go into an enormous choreographed song and dance number with music provided by an invisible orchestra; that's perfectly believable.  That they're singing a swing pop standard rather than a western ballad or ragtime: PREPOSTEROUS!

"Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe" is the big hit off this; it was so long that the entire song couldn't be released as a single due to limits of records back in those days.  There are some gorgeous trains in the film as well.

[Jacob]

Raiders. 

Good thing you did, since that bit is in another movie 

I like Temple. Once they do away with all the horrible palace business, it's a roller-coaster (quite literally, even).

  

... I guess we bailed right before it got good, then.

[Tonitrus]

When I watched it as a kid it was all about the heart ripping scene, that was scary as hell.

I thought the "room full of insects crawling everywhere" was far, far worse. 

[crazy canuck]

It is amazing how the world has shrunk and culturally converged so much over the spell of a millenials life time.

I've been watching the snowpiercer series. Gave it a break between 2 and 3 and back to it now.
It's good but... It is interesting how such a hidden away no name show has really decent and credible stars in supporting roles.
And Ruth's accent confuses me.

I liked the TV series.

[Syt]

Cheers S5 - second half was much better than the first half. Also: lovely cameo (am I using the word right? ) by John Cleese.

Season 6, i.e. the one where Kirstie Alley joined the cast. My main memories of her from this time so far are as Savik in Wrath of Khan and as Virgilia Hazard in North & South (the latter making young Syt realize he really likes women with dark hair and clear eyes ).



Side note - in S6E2 Sam fills in as sports caster for Hunter Dave Richards (Fred Dryer) and mentions a Graf/Evert final. The episode aired in October 1987, so either it was a random reference or to either the final of the Lipton International in Miami in March or the Virginia Slims in LA in August.

(This was the time of the 80s tennis boom in Germany, with Boris Becker and Steffi Graf having stellar runs.)

[Josephus]

Cheers S5 - second half was much better than the first half. Also: lovely cameo (am I using the word right? ) by John Cleese.

Yes

I don't remember John Cleese there. But I havent' seen Cheers since it's original run. So this is probably late 80s?

[Syt]

The episode aired in 1987 (Fish Called Wanda released in 1988). He was a studying buddy of Frasier's from England and a marriage counselor. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0539856/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1

Amusingly, the episode also has Frasier first referencing him being Yum Yum in the Mikado during his studies (something that comes up again in Frasier S3E4).

[Josquius]

Speaking of John Cleese, just this morning read that Eric Idle apparently has money troubles too.

https://www.thewrap.com/eric-idle-monty-python-money-gone/

[crazy canuck]

Speaking of John Cleese, just this morning read that Eric Idle apparently has money troubles too.

https://www.thewrap.com/eric-idle-monty-python-money-gone/

80-year-old man confesses he didn't manage his financial affairs is very well. Says he now needs to work.

An alternative perspective could be old geezer refuses to leave the stage, like so many of his generation.

[celedhring]

Python don't seem to resonate much nowadays. A lot of people I know aged 30 and under don't know or don't find them funny at all.