TV/Movies Megathread

[Josephus]

Watched The Way Back. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023114/

Supposedly based on the true story of a 1941 breakout from a gulag and the escapees' trek to India. Pretty good.

It's not a true story.

No, it doesn't seem like it; although the movie is dedicated to "the three who survived", so they certainly make it seem as though it was. But it apparently isn't.

The film is based on a memoir by Slavomir Rawicz depicting his escape from a Siberian gulag and subsequent 4000-mile walk to freedom in India. Incredibly popular, it sold over 500,000 copies and is credited with inspiring many explorers. However, in 2006 the BBC unearthed records (including some written by Rawicz himself) that showed he had been released by the USSR in 1942. In 2009 another former Polish soldier, Witold Glinski, claimed that the book was really an account of his own escape. However this claim too has been seriously challenged.

[Ideologue]

Scott Pilgrim annoyed me.  You have a hot 17 year old Asian who worships the ground you walk on?  YOU DON'T PISS ON THAT.

At least not until she gets older and gains weight and becomes annoying and chemically depressed, and then you retaliate and the relationship becomes irretrievably ruined and then you go to law school and then you come out in debt bondage and then you die.  OK, I think I figured out why the movie annoys me.

[Viking]

Knives is like the coolest nickname ever.

[Eddie Teach]

Pink haired white girl was definitely hotter. Not worth the hoops, though.

[Razgovory]

Watched The Way Back. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023114/

Supposedly based on the true story of a 1941 breakout from a gulag and the escapees' trek to India. Pretty good.

It's not a true story.

No, it doesn't seem like it; although the movie is dedicated to "the three who survived", so they certainly make it seem as though it was. But it apparently isn't.

The film is based on a memoir by Slavomir Rawicz depicting his escape from a Siberian gulag and subsequent 4000-mile walk to freedom in India. Incredibly popular, it sold over 500,000 copies and is credited with inspiring many explorers. However, in 2006 the BBC unearthed records (including some written by Rawicz himself) that showed he had been released by the USSR in 1942. In 2009 another former Polish soldier, Witold Glinski, claimed that the book was really an account of his own escape. However this claim too has been seriously challenged.

We had a thread on this film.  In one of my finer moments I recognized the story and pointing out that it was bullshit.  The thread's OP was a post by TIm that included an article in Salon where Anne Applebaum (who was consulted for the film), talked about how realistic it was.  With out mentioning the story was fabricated.  Sadly the thread seems to be lost.

[Eddie Teach]

We had a thread on this film.  In one of my finer moments I recognized the story and pointing out that it was bullshit.  The thread's OP was a post by TIm that included an article in Salon where Anne Applebaum (who was consulted for the film), talked about how realistic it was.  With out mentioning the story was fabricated.  Sadly the thread seems to be lost.

Generally, when something is described as "realistic" that it didn't actually happen is understood.

[Josephus]

Interesting. I never heard of this film till I stumbled on it last night. At the beginning of this movie they have a rather deceptive dedication: "To the three people who blah blah" implying that it was real.
I did think it strange that I'd never heard anything about it. At the end of the movie I was expecting the typical "So-and-soovich became a mechanic and now lives in France" but there was none of that, which I found strange.
Still a decent film, though.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Scott Pilgrim annoyed me.  You have a hot 17 year old Asian who worships the ground you walk on?  YOU DON'T PISS ON THAT.

At least not until she gets older and gains weight and becomes annoying and chemically depressed, and then you retaliate and the relationship becomes irretrievably ruined and then you go to law school and then you come out in debt bondage and then you die.  OK, I think I figured out why the movie annoys me.

You are projecting.  Stop it.

[Razgovory]

We had a thread on this film.  In one of my finer moments I recognized the story and pointing out that it was bullshit.  The thread's OP was a post by TIm that included an article in Salon where Anne Applebaum (who was consulted for the film), talked about how realistic it was.  With out mentioning the story was fabricated.  Sadly the thread seems to be lost.

Generally, when something is described as "realistic" that it didn't actually happen is understood.

Thing is, the book was promoted as real events the author experienced.  But that wasn't true. it was a lie.  I'm not right often, and even fewer times do I have the knowledge to know something was specifically false with out having to look it up.  Applebaum talked about how realistic it was to avoid stating that it was a hoax, which is what the "memoir" was.

[Ideologue]

Scott Pilgrim annoyed me.  You have a hot 17 year old Asian who worships the ground you walk on?  YOU DON'T PISS ON THAT.

At least not until she gets older and gains weight and becomes annoying and chemically depressed, and then you retaliate and the relationship becomes irretrievably ruined and then you go to law school and then you come out in debt bondage and then you die.  OK, I think I figured out why the movie annoys me.

You are projecting.  Stop it.

I mean, I'd surely fuck Ramona Flowers as portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead too, but I wouldn't risk my life seven times in a row.  Chick was dullsville.

[Eddie Teach]

Win Win. Didn't live up to the name.

[Josquius]

This week's boardwalk Empire- half an hour in I notice they use sound effects from Red Alert, lol.

[HVC]

Walking Dead is losing its touch.

[viper37]

This week's boardwalk Empire- half an hour in I notice they use sound effects from Red Alert, lol.

Ah, I knew I wasn't crazy! 

[viper37]

Saw Immortals over the week-end.

Well, I wasn't expecting much, and I wasn't disapointed. 
The first 15 minutes, I was wowed by the 3D special effects.
Then, once you get used to that, you start wondering what's going on, what are people doing, why are they doing it, and then you realize you're overthinking for this type of movie.
Mickey Rourque offers a solid performance as the evil king, but he hasn't much to go on.  The guy playing Zeus is barely ok, the others, well, aside the beautiful Athena (Isabel Lucas), there ain't much there to their acting.

It's an inferior product to 300, but better than Clash of the Titans.
I was led to believe this was made by the same people as 300, but that's probably only the studio, as, except for a few slow-motion special effect during battle, I just can't see any hint of 300 in this.

If you crave 3D and can never get enough of it, by all means, go for it.  It's post-processed 3D, but it's really nice to see.
If you don't crave 3D, wait 'til it comes in Blu-Ray, or on tv...
***/5.