TV/Movies Megathread

[CountDeMoney]

Anyway, just watched a terrible Keanu Reeves film on the telly: The Watcher. It's an awful 90s psycho-thriller where he plays a serial killer chased by James Spader. Anyway the most interesting bit of the film is something I found on the wiki:

Reeves has stated that he was not interested in the script but was forced into doing the film when a friend forged his signature on a contract. He performed the role rather than get involved in a lengthy legal battle. He was contractually prevented from disclosing this until twelve months after the film's US release

I doubt Reeves even knew he was shooting a movie back then.  Too busy smoking dope with his band buddies.

[The Brain]

Which reminds me, I saw Indy Jones and the crystal skull bs. John Hurt seemed completely out of it, I doubt he knew they were shooting a movie.

The nuclear fridge survival capsule made sense though.

[celedhring]

Spring Breakers has popped up in several "Best of 2013" lists. I don't think it completely works, but it's an interesting film. Plus it has hot drunken chicks in bikini.

Indeed.  Part of the reason why I needed to watch it--it's one of the last American "important" narrative films of 2013 that I hadn't already caught.  The remaining two are the Coens' Inside Llewyn Davis, All Is Lost with Robert Redford, and arguably (in terms of importance, but it was a big movie) Prisoners, which is about Wolverine beating up a retarded guy.

Did you find SB as abhorrently right-wing as I did?

If you mean as a celebration of a right wing fantasy of gun toting chicks going on a spree, I don't think the film has to be read that way. I found it more a reductio ad absurdum of what a Spring Break is, an extreme vision of the disconnect between what youth seek as "life" and what society has established for them (school).

Prisoners is a fine film. Took me by surprise since I hadn't any advance word of it, and presumed it would be just a decent-ish thriller.

Franco studied at my faculty, wish I hadn't deleted the phone snap I had of him sleeping in class.

[celedhring]

What kind of contract has a clause that states if the signature is a forgery, the original party is not allowed to disclose this fact for 12 months? 

It's common to introduce clauses that forbid you to speak negatively or disclose materials that would hurt a production you're working in as a complement to all the NDA provisions. I have signed a few of those.

They could have negotiated that specific bit afterwards, too.

[Ideologue]

Yeah, if Reeves accepted the contract as valid specifically to avoid a legal battle, the last thing he'd want to do is break his NDA.  Because, then: legal battle.

[katmai]

What kind of contract has a clause that states if the signature is a forgery, the original party is not allowed to disclose this fact for 12 months? 

It's common to introduce clauses that forbid you to speak negatively or disclose materials that would hurt a production you're working in as a complement to all the NDA provisions. I have signed a few of those.

They could have negotiated that specific bit afterwards, too.

I had to wait three years after airing of the Palin show before could discuss it. Under threat of $4 million dollar NDA.

[Eddie Teach]

Does that mean you can talk about it now?

[katmai]

Does that mean you can talk about it now?

Yep as it aired between Nov-Dec of 2010.

[Eddie Teach]

Anything worth talking about?

[CountDeMoney]

I had to wait three years after airing of the Palin show before could discuss it. Under threat of $4 million dollar NDA.

Lolz, the collections efforts alone would've been worth it.

[Kleves]

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Very much an American Bond movie. Complete with utterly nonsensical plot, confusingly edited fight scenes, and half-assed attempts to inject "realism" into the proceedings.

[Admiral Yi]

Iron Man Trois.

Not sure what I think of it.

[celedhring]

It has some truly brilliant stuff (like Ben Kingsley's character) mixed with some moronic stuff. It reeks a lot of  "our hero is so powerful that we have to find ways so he can't use his powers", so Iron Man isn't Iron Man during most part of the movie, which sucks. The whole redemption angle with Stark is reaaaally played out after three movies. Also...

[spoiler]Once it's revealed that Kingsley isn't the antagonist, the real baddie is boring and sucky. A superhero movie lives and dies by its villain, imho.[/spoiler]

Still, far better than the second. And RDJ still makes it watchable by himself.

[Syt]

I thought him not using his powers was a good thing. He's thrown back to basics, kind of like he was in the Afghan cave and has to return to square one without his lab and readily available resources.

I thought the panic attacks he suffered following the Avengers events were a very good addition to his character.

And they get props for including a child character and not make it suck. Normally a tacked on kid is a sign of doom in any franchise.

[spoiler]Agreed on the villain. Was I prepped for an Iron Man vs. Mandarin beatdown? Hell yeah. Did I enjoy what they did instead? Hell yeah, and I nearly pissed myself laughing at the reveal. The real villain could have had a bit more depth, and also more reflection from Tony Stark, because in a way he created the villain by his dickish behavior in the past which is not really brought up.[/spoiler]

[Ideologue]

Spring Breakers has popped up in several "Best of 2013" lists. I don't think it completely works, but it's an interesting film. Plus it has hot drunken chicks in bikini.

Indeed.  Part of the reason why I needed to watch it--it's one of the last American "important" narrative films of 2013 that I hadn't already caught.  The remaining two are the Coens' Inside Llewyn Davis, All Is Lost with Robert Redford, and arguably (in terms of importance, but it was a big movie) Prisoners, which is about Wolverine beating up a retarded guy.

Did you find SB as abhorrently right-wing as I did?

If you mean as a celebration of a right wing fantasy of gun toting chicks going on a spree, I don't think the film has to be read that way. I found it more a reductio ad absurdum of what a Spring Break is, an extreme vision of the disconnect between what youth seek as "life" and what society has established for them (school).

I think it's totally about that, too; although the disconnect seems minimal, given that Spring Break is drinking and fucking on the beach, whereas Korine's version of college is drinking and fucking inland.

Plus, they're never presented (other than Faith) as anything but total monsters, and there's a moralizing shrillness (along with some deliberate sexism and negligent racism) that is impossible for me to ignore.  And bear in mind, this is the guy who wrote Kids.

Honestly, if Faith were written out of the movie entirely, it'd have played so much better.  She's the mechanism by which Korine's program becomes so blindingly apparent and obnoxious.

P.S. the best part of Iron Man the Third was the Westworld joke.  All downhill from there, except maybe the Air Force One rescue.  That was neat.

***

Would You Rather (2012 jerks/2013 people like you and I)

A thrilling torture movie with Gothic flavor, Would You Rather is admittedly not made with true expertise.  But what is does have is a powerfully twisted performance from one of our finest living actors—one Jeffrey Combs—and through sheer scenario tells a compellingly sordid little tale of choices, their consequences, and... America?

A hunger game

B+

Like 1700, 1800 words.