TV/Movies Megathread

[jimmy olsen]

If you like being offended this movie is for you.  Either you'll be outraged that they brought 21st century identity politics to Civil War era New York

Hmm...gender identity and sexual orientation were more fluid before the adoption of the hetrosexual/homosexaul dichotomy by the masses, which  didn't really happen until the early to mid twenty century depending on social class (it moved from top down).

Reference: Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940
https://www.amazon.com/Gay-New-York-Culture-1890-1940/dp/0465026214

[jimmy olsen]

Trumbo. The story of the most well-known writer of the "Hollywood 10", the writers blacklisted in the days of the 1950s anti-commie witch hunt. Trumbo spent a year in jail for contempt when summoned by the HUAC, and then was unable to find work - resorting to ghostwriting mostly B-movies throughout the 1950s, until he was able to claim credit for "Spartacus" and "Exodus", bringing an end to the days of the black list.

The film is as good as you'd expect when you marry the director of "Austin Powers" and "Meet the Fockers" with this kind of material: not good at all. These Oscar-baity biopics tend to be very flat and safe, but this one takes the prize. It's a really bland, by the numbers hack job. Brian Cranston does a very good job and makes the movie ocasionally bearable, but even him manages to fall into occasional cringe-worthiness due to the terrible dialogue that plagues the film.

There's also a bunch of people playing famous actors in the film. Besides the guy playing Edward G. Robinson, who sorta manages to sell it, the lookalikes are terrible. I mean, it's always going to be hard to find people with the presence of Kirk Douglas or John Fucking Wayne, but Wayne is just some random stocky dude, and Douglas some random boyish dude with a chin dimple. Both have small but important parts in the film, and they are really bad.

The one bright spot, though, is Otto Preminger. And that's because he is played like an Austin Powers villain ("you vill vrite ze film Mr Trumbo, and you vill do it now!"). That's actually the best part of the film, when Preminger crashes at Trumbo's house over Christmas and they write "Exodus". I would watch "Trumbo & Otto", the sitcom.

Austin Powers is awesome!

Give It Away - '60s 'Austin Powers' - Style RHCP Cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufvZzhK_3X8

James Bond vs Austin Powers - Epic Rap Battles of History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7xDGi5lp4

[celedhring]

Altered Carbon seems interesting despite the bad reviews. I've watched episode 1. I don't get the point about ai hotels and why they're so bad

The way I understood it, they're thematic hotels without human personnel running them, and they just happen to be passé when Takeshi wakes up.

I've only watched two eps but I'm liking it. It's intriguing, very noir-ish. It's also the most "fleshy" show Netflix has ever made - there's a deluge of naked bodies either being dead, fucking or just strutting around. It's like a fetish.

[Tamas]

Made the mistake of thinking it's a good idea to watch Threads again, as my wife hadn't seen it.

Luckily she wasn't impressed by the movie very much. It freaked me out the first time I watched it and it freaked me out again.

I can see why.
There was a cycle some years ago at a cinémathèque about apocalyptic of all kinds and this one made a big impression on me. The earlier The War Game did not lose its bite but Threads. 

I think it managed to hit as hard as during my first watch many years ago because now I have been living in the UK, and most of the "everyday life" references resonate much more than earlier.

It was uncomfortable to be reminded how profoundly your entire existence and all of those you care about can fall brutally apart, and all it'd take nowadays is one especially rampant rage over a New York Times article.

[Eddie Teach]

Don't worry so much. I'm sure Kelly has the real button hidden away somewhere.

[garbon]

Altered Carbon seems interesting despite the bad reviews. I've watched episode 1. I don't get the point about ai hotels and why they're so bad

The way I understood it, they're thematic hotels without human personnel running them, and they just happen to be passé when Takeshi wakes up.

Yeah that was my understanding too. Something that was in fashion when he was put to sleep but gone out of style in the intervening time period.

I've only watched two eps but I'm liking it. It's intriguing, very noir-ish. It's also the most "fleshy" show Netflix has ever made - there's a deluge of naked bodies either being dead, fucking or just strutting around. It's like a fetish.

That was one of the highlights for me in the first few minutes of episode one.

[Josquius]

Altered Carbon seems interesting despite the bad reviews. I've watched episode 1. I don't get the point about ai hotels and why they're so bad

The way I understood it, they're thematic hotels without human personnel running them, and they just happen to be passé when Takeshi wakes up.

I've only watched two eps but I'm liking it. It's intriguing, very noir-ish. It's also the most "fleshy" show Netflix has ever made - there's a deluge of naked bodies either being dead, fucking or just strutting around. It's like a fetish.

The way they were talking sounded more than just they're lame. Though that would make sense with them being a future fad to our guy and an old thing to the people around him.
. Sounded like there was something very wrong about them. Talk of it being like a crazy girlfriend or so. Wonder if something will happen when he tries to leave.

Though odd these big places are still standing if nobody has been there in 50 years

[The Larch]

Has anyone here watched "The good place"? I binged it the last few days and I must say I really enjoyed it.

[celedhring]

Watched the first two episodes after you talked about it on the Spanish EUOT. :p

It's ok, probably even good. I'm just not much of a sitcom guy. I'm only drawn to the really surreal/outrageous stuff (i.e. Community)

[Josquius]

Has anyone here watched "The good place"? I binged it the last few days and I must say I really enjoyed it.

Yes, I think I mentioned it in this thread a while ago. It is pretty darn good, oddly.
I'm all up to date with it

[The Larch]

Watched the first two episodes after you talked about it on the Spanish EUOT. :p

It's ok, probably even good. I'm just not much of a sitcom guy. I'm only drawn to the really surreal/outrageous stuff (i.e. Community)

The show becomes more bizarre over time, and the 2nd season goes completely off the rails. Try to finish the 1st season (it's just 13 episodes) and if you like it, you won't be dissapointed with the 2nd one.

Besides, that way you get to do a break form anime. 

[The Brain]

Love Actually is on the telly. I've seen it before, but it's extra nice these days when you don't have to feel bad about POTUS being portrayed as a total slimeball.

[Eddie Teach]

Slimeball or not, PM Hugh Grant was amateur hour waiting until the press conference to back out of a deal.

[The Brain]

Slimeball or not, PM Hugh Grant was amateur hour waiting until the press conference to back out of a deal.

HE WAS IN LOVE

I don't believe you people.

[Eddie Teach]