TV/Movies Megathread

[Ideologue]

Instead of the rest of Weekend, I watched Cruel Gun Story (1964), a Japanese noir.  It had characters and a heist and all sorts of double-crosses, as well as significantly less stupid-looking gunplay.  This is what is generally referred to as a "movie."

B

[Ideologue]

(The Noel Coward original is a B btw.  Soulless and mean--and not only in comparison.)

That does sound like Noel Coward. But for British drama of that era he's soulful - see Brief Encounter.

I would, because I do like his jibber-jabber.  But the David Lean movies aren't on Hulu.

[Ideologue]

The Freshman (1925).  Also a movie, one starring Harold Lloyd.  As usual, he is a nerd.  However, the illusions he has about life are here are internalized, and when he goes off to college, deploying lines and goofy physical comedy he learned from the pictures, he gains a measure of popularity, but only because the actual cool kids like to have him around to laugh at.  But he makes those who have wronged him pay.  Notable for being funny despite 80% of the jokes being about sewing.  Some of the sewing is frankly erotic in nature, and the female lead, Jobyna Ralston, is really pretty.  She was also in Wings, which I really ought to see one of these days.

B+

Can anyone make a case for the back hour of Weekend not being a waste of my mortal life?

[Eddie Teach]

Lone Survivor- not much plot, lots of action, modern warfare style
Jack Ryan- I don't really buy Chris Pine in this role, but the movie was ok
Monuments Men- Kinda cheesy, feel-good fluff

All 3 in the B-C range depending on how charitable I'm feeling

[celedhring]

Robin Hood (2010). Scott tries a somewhat history-based approach to the Robin Hood character, making a prequel of sorts where he gets involved in the conflict between England and France and becomes an outlaw in the process. The "serious" take on the character sucks a bit of the joy from the tale, and the sense of self-importance makes for a mandatory too long running time that dillutes the actual entertaining bits, but at least it tries something a bit different.

All in all, I haven't seen his wine flick, but I think it's gotten to the point where it's impossible for Ridley Scott to make a film that's completely devoid of interesting stuff, even if the film overall isn't a good one (like Prometheus, which is visually arresting despite sucking). Here you get some good battle scenes, and a sense of gravitas that provides some high point. Plus Russell Crowe always delivers in these larger than life roles (I read his accent is stupid, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to tell).

Somebody needs to give Scott a REALLY good script before he gets too old.

[11B4V]

Robin Hood (2010). Scott tries a somewhat history-based approach to the Robin Hood character, making a prequel of sorts where he gets involved in the conflict between England and France and becomes an outlaw in the process. The "serious" take on the character sucks a bit of the joy from the tale, and the sense of self-importance makes for a mandatory too long running time that dillutes the actual entertaining bits, but at least it tries something a bit different.

All in all, I haven't seen his wine flick, but I think it's gotten to the point where it's impossible for Ridley Scott to make a film that's completely devoid of interesting stuff, even if the film overall isn't a good one (like Prometheus, which is visually arresting despite sucking). Here you get some good battle scenes, and a sense of gravitas that provides some high point. Plus Russell Crowe always delivers in these larger than life roles (I read his accent is stupid, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to tell).

Somebody needs to give Scott a REALLY good script before he gets too old.

Of Scott's off beat movies, I've always liked Matchstick men.

[celedhring]

I liked Matchstick Men, although[spoiler] I'm a bit fed up of the cliched "It was all a con!" non-twist endings of most con movies.[/spoiler]. But yeah, it's quirky done well.

My favorite film of his since his comeback with Gladiator is the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven.

[Ideologue]

Somebody needs to give Scott a REALLY good script before he gets too old.

It's called THE BIBLE.

[Sophie Scholl]

I liked Matchstick Men, although[spoiler] I'm a bit fed up of the cliched "It was all a con!" non-twist endings of most con movies.[/spoiler]. But yeah, it's quirky done well.

My favorite film of his since his comeback with Gladiator is the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven.

Agreed on the liking of the Director's Cut.  Great flick.  I really like A Good Year as well.  I'd recommend it.

[Sheilbh]

Having been to the Balkans a few times I finally started watching the Death of Yugoslavia which was recommended to me by friends over there. Incredibly interesting. What's striking is that it was made in 1995 with lots of interviews with the leaders involved. They never imagined any of them would end up in the Hague so they're all pretty candid about it and their role (in their own views). Brilliant TV.

First episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNK0fBa789Y

[crazy canuck]

J and I took in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  Good movie and worth seeing if for no other reason than to see my backyard    I was happy to see that I could recognize where most of the forest scenes were shot.  Almost all of it is shot on or near trials we usually walk along.  The scene where the humans first encounter the apes is on our favourite walking route and the opening scenes are literally meters away from the trailhead where we enter the forest trail system (about 5 minutes walk from my front door).

Oh and the movie is pretty cool too.

[Scipio]

I liked Matchstick Men, although[spoiler] I'm a bit fed up of the cliched "It was all a con!" non-twist endings of most con movies.[/spoiler]. But yeah, it's quirky done well.

My favorite film of his since his comeback with Gladiator is the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven.

Dances with Extra Lots of Muslims was far superior to Dances with Muslims, but suffered in comparison to Robin Hood and Gladiator, IMHO. Nice historically tolerable battles, though.

[Ideologue]

Just somewhat blindly bought Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion.  It's CDM's favorite movie.

[Savonarola]

The Freshman (1925).  Also a movie, one starring Harold Lloyd.  As usual, he is a nerd.  However, the illusions he has about life are here are internalized, and when he goes off to college, deploying lines and goofy physical comedy he learned from the pictures, he gains a measure of popularity, but only because the actual cool kids like to have him around to laugh at.  But he makes those who have wronged him pay.  Notable for being funny despite 80% of the jokes being about sewing.  Some of the sewing is frankly erotic in nature, and the female lead, Jobyna Ralston, is really pretty.  She was also in Wings, which I really ought to see one of these days.

B+

The football scenes are reused as the beginning of "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock."  While that film, as I've said before, is a hit or miss affair, I think you'll enjoy the opening jokes about how the world beating Glasses character is transformed into a soul-crushed office drone by corporate culture.

[Savonarola]

The Blob (1958)

A mysterious alien comes from outer space!  It devours everything in it's path!  Only twenty eight year old teenagers Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut can save their town; but will the adults listen to them?

This low budget independent film was made at a time when both juvenile delinquent films and sci-fi films were becoming big.  The producer, Jack Harris, was a film distributor on the east coast.  He wasn't getting the films he thought would sell; so he made his own.  He got unknown stage actors from New York and from Philadelphia's Hedgerow Theater, he got a religious film company to film it and a local lab to produce it.  Paramount had an enormous bomb on their hands, "I Married and Alien from Outer Space," and offered to put "The Blob" on a double bill with that; but only if an unknown songwriter, named Burt Bacharach, wrote the theme song.

The film is a great deal of fun; and a wonderful snap-shot of  small town 1958 when "Bad" kids did terrible things like have backwards drag races and go to late night movies.