TV/Movies Megathread

[Eddie Teach]

I was speaking in general. Haven't seen Clue since I was a kid.

[Ideologue]

Oh, you should.  It's on the instant watch and it's really a lot of fun.

[Ideologue]

Oh, and I meant to say, John Carpenter helped with the score on Prince of Darkness, and it's really, really, really good.

[FunkMonk]

Clue (1985).  My girlfriend probably thinks I'm some kind of mental because the scene where they draw matchsticks to determine who splits up with whom made me laugh for like five minutes straight.  The gambit using different endings employed in the theatrical release is one of the most unique filmmaking techniques ever devised, and while obviously I was not really around to enjoy that delightful confusion, I have scored accordingly (it's the +).  Clue: the best movie of its genre. A+

You are correct, sah.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Oh, you should.  It's on the instant watch and it's really a lot of fun.

Just wait for the remake.

Prince of Darkness is an underrated classic.

[Syt]

Avengers. Still a fun flick. The blu ray came with a trade paperback of a Black Widow three-shot miniseries.

[CountDeMoney]

Interesting review of NBC's Revolution

It will be interesting to see whether audiences give NBC's new drama Revolution -- a tale about what happens when power goes out across the world, ostensibly forever -- a little patience, a little time to find out just what the producers are trying to say.

That's relevant because the pilot, while quite compelling, contains a lot of disjointed elements that need some explaining (which doesn't really occur in the pilot), and critics, having heard the producers talking about what kind of story they want to tell, understand that story isn't made available in the first hour.

Does that make sense? If not, well, Revolution doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's a lot of fun. The producers, peppered very early by critics wanting to know if they actually had a plan -- on behalf of those people burned in the past by epic, serialized stories with a lot of mythology -- have endeavored to prove that they know what the hell they're doing.

But first, a note about said producers: Revolution is touted as a show from J.J. Abrams, but he was mostly there (like Steven Spielberg and all of his recent TV series) as the guy whose name gets it launched. Iron Man director Jon Favreau is a producer on the series and directed the pilot (he also came to TCA and answered questions from critics), but it's unclear whether he'll direct more episodes. The series is really from Eric Kripke (Supernatural), with help from the very talented Bryan Burk (Star Trek, Lost).

It was Kripke who told critics that the series brought in a physicist, explained the big reveal of how all the power went out (and stayed out) and said the physicist was delighted by the surprise and agreed that, yes, it's plausible. And plausibility is going to be a big issue in Revolution. As the pilot opens, we see Ben Matheson (Tim Guinee) rush home to his wife, Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell). Ben downloads obviously super-important information from a computer into a really cool thumb drive right before the epic turn of events happens: Every piece of electrical equipment in the world goes out. Planes fall from the sky. Cars die in their tracks. Explosions occur. Governments topple. People fight for food and water. If you dared to stay in a major city, you would probably die. Hope, the show hints, is out in the wild.

Revolution quickly jumps to 15 years in the future -- still no power, and America has turned into a strange, retro agrarian culture. But it's also littered with various militias and dangerous highway gangs, and quicker than you can say "Hunger Games meets Planet of the Apes meets Lost," a quirky show with grand ambitions is on your screen.

The story mostly is told from the standpoint of Ben's children, daughter Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), who is fearless and appears to have seen Hunger Games 30 times, and son Danny (Graham Rogers), who looks like he didn't understand Hunger Games. They are about to face off with ruthless Captain Tom Neville (the superb Giancarlo Esposito), who is in the service of the even more ruthless Gen. Monroe (David Lyons), leader of the decimated country's largest militia. Sure enough, dim-bulb Danny gets himself taken prisoner by Neville, and Charlie and a band of others race off to find her Uncle Miles (Billy Burke) somewhere in Chicago.

Now, having heard all of this, you might be wondering why water or wind hasn't been used to create electricity. That's the secret. All Kripke will hint at is that it's about "anything that throws a spark, any circuit that throws an electrical charge" -- they're all out and remain out. The water/wind factor will be explained (something clearly is happening to prevent electricity), and in the meantime, we are to view Revolution not as a postapocalyptic disaster series but more of a positive series about nature and simpler times.

Oh.

See, that's the part that's not readily explained in the pilot. And it turns out, based on comments from Kripke and Favreau, that it's pretty important. Revolution, they say, is only partly about the "why" -- about the mystery of electricity. It's mostly about creating a new utopia of sorts, living a simpler life in the wild and whether you'd go back to the Internet and Wi-Fi days if you really got a taste for the old ways.

It's not a bad idea, and it's also rather hopeful that Kripke says Revolution is not going to string out the power secret forever. Yes, there have been a ton of postapocalyptic stories (The Road comes to mind), and this won't be one of them. This is the other take. That's why people fight with swords and arrows. It's why Kripke says his inspiration was more Lord of the Rings than Planet of the Apes.

Look, we're all going to have to just go with it. The pilot is a winner, and it will pull you back the following week. The question is whether the story not told in the pilot will be the story that keeps viewers around or sends them away.

[Eddie Teach]

Now, having heard all of this, you might be wondering why water or wind hasn't been used to create electricity. That's the secret. All Kripke will hint at is that it's about "anything that throws a spark, any circuit that throws an electrical charge" -- they're all out and remain out. The water/wind factor will be explained (something clearly is happening to prevent electricity), and in the meantime, we are to view Revolution not as a postapocalyptic disaster series but more of a positive series about nature and simpler times.

Oh.

See, that's the part that's not readily explained in the pilot. And it turns out, based on comments from Kripke and Favreau, that it's pretty important. Revolution, they say, is only partly about the "why" -- about the mystery of electricity. It's mostly about creating a new utopia of sorts, living a simpler life in the wild and whether you'd go back to the Internet and Wi-Fi days if you really got a taste for the old ways.

In other words, their rationale for removing electricity isn't really plausible, regardless of what their pet physicist says.

[CountDeMoney]

In other words, their rationale for removing electricity isn't really plausible, regardless of what their pet physicist says.

Tune in and find out!

[Habbaku]

It's mostly about creating a new utopia of sorts, living a simpler life in the wild and whether you'd go back to the Internet and Wi-Fi days if you really got a taste for the old ways.

[CountDeMoney]

It's mostly about creating a new utopia of sorts, living a simpler life in the wild and whether you'd go back to the Internet and Wi-Fi days if you really got a taste for the old ways.

Anti-Jeffersonian 

[Josquius]

Good grief the new series of Doctor Who is pretty dire, couldn't even be arsed to watch it on 'fast forward'.

Yeah it  really was terrible.
Its weird because isn't a first or second doctor wild west episode considered one of the worst of the earlier doctor who episodes?
Next one looks fun though.

[Duque de Bragança]

Jan Kounen's carte blanche

Three Supermen at the Olympic Games

Turkish comedy (?) where a foreign criminal organization wants to sabotage the Olympic Games. An opportunity to fight it for the valorous supermen...  Hollywood soundtracks and italian footage recycled. Watched it with a live (!) voiceover at the Forum des Images. Still does not make much sense. Artemis has some three Supermen and there are lots of stock shots.

Blood Freaks (director's cut)

Hilarious pro-christian, anti-drug movie featuring a biker guy turning into a monster.
To quote Jan Kounen:
"To me logically, dubbing is a sacrilege, but here it becomes a blessing!"

[Razgovory]

Interesting review of NBC's Revolution

It will be interesting to see whether audiences give NBC's new drama Revolution -- a tale about what happens when power goes out across the world, ostensibly forever -- a little patience, a little time to find out just what the producers are trying to say.

That's relevant because the pilot, while quite compelling, contains a lot of disjointed elements that need some explaining (which doesn't really occur in the pilot), and critics, having heard the producers talking about what kind of story they want to tell, understand that story isn't made available in the first hour.

Does that make sense? If not, well, Revolution doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's a lot of fun. The producers, peppered very early by critics wanting to know if they actually had a plan -- on behalf of those people burned in the past by epic, serialized stories with a lot of mythology -- have endeavored to prove that they know what the hell they're doing.

But first, a note about said producers: Revolution is touted as a show from J.J. Abrams, but he was mostly there (like Steven Spielberg and all of his recent TV series) as the guy whose name gets it launched. Iron Man director Jon Favreau is a producer on the series and directed the pilot (he also came to TCA and answered questions from critics), but it's unclear whether he'll direct more episodes. The series is really from Eric Kripke (Supernatural), with help from the very talented Bryan Burk (Star Trek, Lost).

It was Kripke who told critics that the series brought in a physicist, explained the big reveal of how all the power went out (and stayed out) and said the physicist was delighted by the surprise and agreed that, yes, it's plausible. And plausibility is going to be a big issue in Revolution. As the pilot opens, we see Ben Matheson (Tim Guinee) rush home to his wife, Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell). Ben downloads obviously super-important information from a computer into a really cool thumb drive right before the epic turn of events happens: Every piece of electrical equipment in the world goes out. Planes fall from the sky. Cars die in their tracks. Explosions occur. Governments topple. People fight for food and water. If you dared to stay in a major city, you would probably die. Hope, the show hints, is out in the wild.

Revolution quickly jumps to 15 years in the future -- still no power, and America has turned into a strange, retro agrarian culture. But it's also littered with various militias and dangerous highway gangs, and quicker than you can say "Hunger Games meets Planet of the Apes meets Lost," a quirky show with grand ambitions is on your screen.

The story mostly is told from the standpoint of Ben's children, daughter Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), who is fearless and appears to have seen Hunger Games 30 times, and son Danny (Graham Rogers), who looks like he didn't understand Hunger Games. They are about to face off with ruthless Captain Tom Neville (the superb Giancarlo Esposito), who is in the service of the even more ruthless Gen. Monroe (David Lyons), leader of the decimated country's largest militia. Sure enough, dim-bulb Danny gets himself taken prisoner by Neville, and Charlie and a band of others race off to find her Uncle Miles (Billy Burke) somewhere in Chicago.

Now, having heard all of this, you might be wondering why water or wind hasn't been used to create electricity. That's the secret. All Kripke will hint at is that it's about "anything that throws a spark, any circuit that throws an electrical charge" -- they're all out and remain out. The water/wind factor will be explained (something clearly is happening to prevent electricity), and in the meantime, we are to view Revolution not as a postapocalyptic disaster series but more of a positive series about nature and simpler times.

Oh.

See, that's the part that's not readily explained in the pilot. And it turns out, based on comments from Kripke and Favreau, that it's pretty important. Revolution, they say, is only partly about the "why" -- about the mystery of electricity. It's mostly about creating a new utopia of sorts, living a simpler life in the wild and whether you'd go back to the Internet and Wi-Fi days if you really got a taste for the old ways.

It's not a bad idea, and it's also rather hopeful that Kripke says Revolution is not going to string out the power secret forever. Yes, there have been a ton of postapocalyptic stories (The Road comes to mind), and this won't be one of them. This is the other take. That's why people fight with swords and arrows. It's why Kripke says his inspiration was more Lord of the Rings than Planet of the Apes.

Look, we're all going to have to just go with it. The pilot is a winner, and it will pull you back the following week. The question is whether the story not told in the pilot will be the story that keeps viewers around or sends them away.

Ugh.  I bought a book that had this premise.  Electricity and Gunpowder just stop working SCA nerds and Wiccans take over the earth.  I couldn't get past 50 pages.  It was like reading some Teenagers D&D fantasy.  I think Stirling wrote it.

[Josquius]

Yeah, Dies the Fire. The concept was too silly and uninteresting for me to even start reading it.