TV/Movies Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Not sure about the Cathedrals.

Apparently there's been testing on stones in at least cathedrals in England and Scotland - I think similar to the testing they did on Roman statues - and it seems they were painted polychrome. So this is what researchers in Glasgow think their local cathedral would have looked like - not the bare, moody, gothic stone we have now:

[Valmy]

Yes I am aware that the Cathedral interiors used to be quite colorful, more like Orthodox Churches. What I was saying was I was not aware if period shows were starting to show Cathedrals more historically accurate like that.

[Josquius]

In Lausanne cathedral you can still see traces of the paint in one part. It's pretty obvious and visible with the naked eye, curious how we ever got to the stage of not remembering this happened.

People looking like the historic character... I think that does matter to an extent in a lot of cases. For instance a non ginger Elizabeth I is just weird. Make her hot or make her ugly, it matters not, but that she was ginger is pretty central to the character. It's a firmly established mental image people have.
This is where colour blind casting of more recent people gets weird too. Anne Boleyn... Well yeah obviously she was white but beyond that do many people have a clue what she is meant to look like?
Churchill on the other hand... Yep. Chubby baldy guy with a cigar.
Then there's characters where not only do we have a certain image but a certain image is core to the character. If a guy was famous for being an absolute giant then unless you're using camera trickery don't cast Peter Dinklage.

[Syt]

I've noticed that Amazon Prime adds the new episodes of Star Trek Lower Decks every Friday. The first two episodes are all right. The bits with Boimler on the USS Titan with Ryker are quite funny IMHO.

[Sheilbh]

This looks good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrhXjH1M70

Like Berberian Sound Studio but about a video nasties censor.

Super-hyped now
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/22/censor-review-prano-bailey-bond-niamh-algar-video-nasties

But there is zero chance I'll see this in the cinema or the dark

[Eddie Teach]

You miss half the fun with the lights on.

[Josephus]

That looks awesome.

[Berkut]

So...I was flipping channels and came across the first episode of a new series called Anne Boleyn.
I guess they are going for shock value, or it's the in thing now, but the actress playing Anne is, how to put it, of African descent.
I don't know, I just found this odd. A sort of reverse cultural appropriation.  I can handle black people in out of place historical contexts (Amazon's The Great, set in Catharine's Russia, does this), but not in the leading role.
Got me thinking: What if a biopic on Whitney Huston featured Taylor Swift in the lead role? Or Samuel L. Jackson as Stalin? , "Die Trotsky, you mother fucker."

In any case, what eventually got me was about 15 minutes in, when Anne and Jane Seymour embraced in a passionate kiss in the gardens. First time in my life, two women kissing set my eyes rolling. 

I think it would be great if we got to a point where remarking that some actor is black playing a white historical character would be about as relevant and interesting as complaining that some actor has blonde hair, and we know that the historical figure had brown hair. Or that they are too tall, or too short, or whatever.

And if it takes some "edgy" casty to get there, I am fine with that.

[The Brain]

One thing that annoys me is when movie makers focus too much on physical likeness, even when it has nothing to do with the story. Like "oh the real person/character in the book is blond, so we have to dye the actor's hair", and by doing so they make the character look like someone who dyes his hair. "Which parts of the person's look matter and which do not?" is a question I think movie makers always should be asking themselves. Often something "big" like skin color doesn't matter at all to the story, and sometimes tiny details can be important.

[Syt]

I feel for things like biopics it's often more helpful to find someone who can evoke the character rather than ape them. Anthony Hopkins looks not much like Richard Nixon, but I thought he was excellent in the role.

[Berkut]

Yeah, I can see that there are some roles where it matters more than others. It all depends.

I mean, I would find it odd to see an Abraham Lincoln who was short and really good looking. Because there is a lot about the mythology/narrative around Lincoln of his being gangly, tall, and awkward.

I would think of someone like Ann Boleyn, and basically the myth/narrative around her is that she should be incredibly good looking. It would be odd if they found an actress who was not I suppose. And I certainly would notice if they case someone black in the role, or Asian, or whatever, but I would notice it and think "Yeah, it will be cool when you DON'T notice that" and move on.

[Darth Wagtaros]

I was looking forward to Amazon's WH40K inquisitor series. Looks like it is dead, and Games Workshop is going to have their own crap streaming service with crudely drawn animation.

[Josephus]

I feel for things like biopics it's often more helpful to find someone who can evoke the character rather than ape them. Anthony Hopkins looks not much like Richard Nixon, but I thought he was excellent in the role.

But Morgan Freeman would have been an odd choice.

[Josephus]

Now you're all making me sound like a raciss. 

Most of the time it doesn't bother me; and if the Anne Boleyn show was decent I would have continued on, and not paid much attention to her race. (funny thing is they pay so much attention to detail in clothing and furniture and ...well, I digress.)

As I said earlier, after 15 minutes when Anne and Lady Jane Seymour (played incidentally by an orangutan*...) locked mouths passionately, I realized they weren't going for historical accuracy. (Now you're gonna say I'm anti LGBTQ--that's not true...I normally enjoy lesbian scenes.))


*No, I just kid. Jane was white and cute.

[KRonn]

Last season of The Walking Dead starts tonight. I think it's an extended season and from what I've seen it needs to be extended given the new aspects and groups we'll see. I'll be sad to see it end but I think it's time for it to find some kind of conclusion.