TV/Movies Megathread

[Eddie Teach]

Here, I have to disagree. People can't change their sex, but they can certainly change their names.

[Martinus]

Since when is Chelsea Manning a gay man?

Since either birth or early childhood.

Really? As far as I know, we do not know anything about her sexual orientation.

[11B4V]

... and it plays into that old-fashioned prejudice that gay men were automatic security risks.

Bradley Manning says hello.

Gay men ARE security risks.

Since when is Chelsea Manning a gay man?

Who the fuck is Chelsea Manning?

Hey Tricky Dick, google. I cant believe you dont know who this dude is.

[11B4V]

Starting a binge of The Americans. Interesting so far.

[Ed Anger]

... and it plays into that old-fashioned prejudice that gay men were automatic security risks.

Bradley Manning says hello.

Gay men ARE security risks.

Since when is Chelsea Manning a gay man?

Who the fuck is Chelsea Manning?

Hey Tricky Dick, google. I cant believe you dont know who this dude is.

Psst...Neil is doing his thing. Just watch the show.

[Eddie Teach]

The Equalizer. Denzel vs. Russian mob. It was entertaining.

A physical and written test to be a security guard at a Home Depot? 

[KRonn]

Starting a binge of The Americans. Interesting so far.

Good show, I got into that the last season or two; waiting on the new season which is January or February, not sure, but I see it being advertised for the new season.

[Ideologue]

Have you seen Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, Ide? One of my favorite of his, and he was already in his 80s when he did it!

Yeah, actually, I forgot about that one.  I definitely do have a least favorite then.  I like it, to be sure.  And I can understand why many folks loved it.  However, it was a little too miserablist for my tastes--especially within a subgenre where miserablism is just miserable, that of the stupid criminal movie.  For me, it didn't have too many compensating features.  (It does have one or two very obvious compensating features, however. )  Also if I remember my feelings on the matter correctly, Hawke was good but miscast.

The Lumets I've seen, in order from best to worst would go:

Tied for 1)Fail-Safe and Deathtrap (with the caveat that I just saw Deathtrap and I might just be overenthusiastic about it)
3)Network
4)12 Angry Men (though it's been so long since I've seen it that it could rightly be rated higher)
5)Dog Day Afternoon
Tied for 6)The Anderson Tapes and Serpico
8)Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (sorry )

Next I need to watch Murder on the Orient Express.

Lumet is usually listed as part of New Hollywood. Lumet hated the Hollywood system certainly, that's why he based most of his career in NYC even though he wasn't an indie. He was part of the first generation of TV directors that transitioned to film, so he brought a distinct approach to its subjects that was certainly different to the lumbering studio system - quick, dirty and vivid - but at the same time was a bit different from most New Hollywood types. Those usually had a different background, coming from film studies or film schools (Coppola, Bogdanovich, Scorsese, Malick, etc...) and thus had more stylized aesthetic proposals.

What I like about Lumet is that he's sort of a bridge between the Golden Age and New Hollywood.  He used the new content liberalism to bring new subject matter to established genre fare, like all the gay stuff in the The Anderson Tapes, and the [spoiler]ENORMOUS AMOUNTS of gay stuff featuring Michael Caine and Superman [/spoiler] in Deathtrap.  And, he had a knack for engaging the audience instead of alienating it, bringing in entertaining genre stuff even when his subject matter was gritty and his performances and dialogue naturalistic, those usually being the death of things.  I mean, DDA turns into an excellent thriller in the last 10 minutes and there's old school horror film stuff in Network along with the great comedy beats.  (Serpico kind of fumbles it, but that's the real Frank Serpico's fault for not living his life in the credited action hero style.)

Of course, then there's Before the Devil, which is pretty much everything I'm wary of about New Hollywood, only 30 years later.

[Neil]

... and it plays into that old-fashioned prejudice that gay men were automatic security risks.

Bradley Manning says hello.

Gay men ARE security risks.

Since when is Chelsea Manning a gay man?

Who the fuck is Chelsea Manning?

Hey Tricky Dick, google. I cant believe you dont know who this dude is.

Oh, OK.  I didn't realize that he changed his name.

Wow, that's fucked up.  Although I guess I don't blame him for not wanting to go to a men's prison.  Still, pretty extreme.

[CountDeMoney]

Wow, that's fucked up.  Although I guess I don't blame him for not wanting to go to a men's prison.  Still, pretty extreme.

She's locked up at Ft. Leavenworth so it's not like she's getting any conjugal visits, wanted or unwanted.

[celedhring]

Wow, that's fucked up.  Although I guess I don't blame him for not wanting to go to a men's prison.  Still, pretty extreme.

She's locked up at Ft. Leavenworth so it's not like she's getting any conjugal visits, wanted or unwanted.

Just noticed your new avatar. Night of the Generals 

[Martinus]

Wow, that's fucked up.  Although I guess I don't blame him for not wanting to go to a men's prison.  Still, pretty extreme.

She's locked up at Ft. Leavenworth so it's not like she's getting any conjugal visits, wanted or unwanted.

Kudos for using correct pronouns unlike some troglodytes here.

[CountDeMoney]

Kudos for using correct pronouns unlike some troglodytes here.

Shes is who she is.

[Eddie Teach]

I went to a whore, he said my life's a bore. Now quit my whining 'cause it's bringing her down.

[Ed Anger]

Kudos for using correct pronouns unlike some troglodytes here.

Shes is who she is.

"it"