TV/Movies Megathread

[Josephus]

Watched Joker. Not what I expected. Very good.

[Eddie Teach]

And on to 1950s Hollywood. Trumbo. Some of the family stuff was the usual biopic cliches, but the work bits were interesting. Best scene- John Goodman takes a bat to some America First type trying to blackmail him.

[Josephus]

New season of Killing Eve.

hmmm....not sure where this is going at all.

[celedhring]

New season of Killing Eve.

hmmm....not sure where this is going at all.

Yeah, this season doesn't have much of a direction.

[Josquius]

Darkest hour - bleh. Thoroughly uninteresting by the book biographical about how wonderful Churchill was and how nasty and devious everyone else was.

[Maladict]

Darkest hour - bleh. Thoroughly uninteresting by the book biographical about how wonderful Churchill was and how nasty and devious everyone else was.

Every time the movie is mentioned I think of that underground scene. It annoyed me in the cinema, because it ruined an otherwise decent movie. Now the thought of it just cracks me up.

As for Churchill, the movie was a bio of a very thin slice of his life, when there wasn't much to fault him for. It would be interesting to have a full life biopic, including the failures and controversies.

[Eddie Teach]

I'd like to see one focused on his time at Verdun. 

[Sheilbh]

If we have to have more films about Churchill and the war, I would love a film about the Norway debate and then the manoeuvring to replace Chamberlain. "In the name of God, go!", Lloyd-George bringing back the fire for one last appearance in the Commons and Churchill defending Chamberlain at the end of the debate. Then Churchill, Halifax, Chamberlain, Attlee, Bevin, Morrison and the Palace negotiating to work out who could govern, meanwhile Germany invades the low countries and France. All in the space of three days.

But obviously Churchill would only be one character, it would need to be an ensemble piece. Which is appropriate given how important the Labour part of the war cabinet were.

[Tamas]

Darkest hour - bleh. Thoroughly uninteresting by the book biographical about how wonderful Churchill was and how nasty and devious everyone else was.

Every time the movie is mentioned I think of that underground scene. It annoyed me in the cinema, because it ruined an otherwise decent movie. Now the thought of it just cracks me up.

As for Churchill, the movie was a bio of a very thin slice of his life, when there wasn't much to fault him for. It would be interesting to have a full life biopic, including the failures and controversies.

Of course Tyr is motivated by the prominent place Churchill has in the Labour Pantheon, but that was a bad movie indeed.

[Grey Fox]

Heretics the lot of you.

[Sheilbh]

Of course Tyr is motivated by the prominent place Churchill has in the Labour Pantheon, but that was a bad movie indeed.

I haven't watched the film, but will. If it doesn't give enough credit to the Labour part of the war government (especially Attlee and Greenwood) I will be r a g i n g.

[Grey Fox]

How would you define "enough"?

[celedhring]

The Darkest Hour is your typical bland Hollywood biopic that solely exists to give Oscars for celebrity impersonations. There's not really much to argue about.

[The Minsky Moment]

IIRC in the movie Atlee is portrayed as the instigator for taking Chamberlain down and forming a coalition with Churchill as leader, but mostly the focus is on Churchill and the Tory grandees who (allegedly) oppose him.

[Josquius]

Attlee gets name checked a bit and there's part where a character referred to as the leader of the opposition who looks pretty close to Attlee speaks, but he is largely overlooked. I can't recall "Labour" being mentioned at all.

Also annoying  was one line where someone (King George?) says Churchill was right about Hitler. This really plays into the horrible myth that throughout the 30s he was the only one who recognised the Nazis were a threat, Chamberlain completely bought into the peace idea and didn't pursue peace whilst at the same time ramping up war preparations, etc...

The underground scene was dumb and ahistoric. One part I found particularly funny was that one of the passengers who speaks to Churchill was a black guy and Churchill treats him as an equal. They mention Churchill having dumb views on India but largely sweep under the carpet quite why he was wrong there and that being the reason he was an isolated figure politically.

Of course Tyr is motivated by the prominent place Churchill has in the Labour Pantheon, but that was a bad movie indeed.

eh?