TV/Movies Megathread

[Josquius]

Sounds cool. You go out to eat and have a rest during the shitty ones.

[celedhring]

Sounds cool. You go out to eat and have a rest during the shitty ones.

Hulk and Iron Man 2 come up pretty early though, should have spaced them better.

[Syt]

I've avoided the Age of Ultron trailers so far. I watched them today and am fairly hyped. James Spader is awesome.

[Kleves]

I watched the "Special Edition" of A New Hope recently. Great movie. Almost everything Lucas added is completely terrible. It is tough to believe that the same guy that did Empire Strikes Back is responsible for these changes and the prequels. It is as if everything he has done in the last 30 years has been one elaborate troll.

[Norgy]

"Better Call Saul" just isn't quite my thing, I've found. Then again, I thought "Breaking Bad" was tailing off by season four.

"Togetherness" is one of those new akward-funny shows. Doubt it'll run long, but I quite like the Duplass brothers' work.

[Admiral Yi]

To celebrate the end of the worst winter ever I think I might head to the movin picher show and catch American Sniper.

[Capetan Mihali]

Last Sunday I drove 45 minutes down to the wider-ranging artsy cinema and built a double-feature out of "Maps To The Stars" and "Mr. Turner."  Today, I saw "Whiplash" in the smallest theater of the local independent miniplex. 

"Mr. Turner" should be placed alongside many others under the "Good" heading in the ultimate evaluation of Mike Leigh's oeuvre, clearly separate from the "Great."  That said, it was a pleasure to watch, in its evocation of the period and in watching the cinematography open up a lot more than in most of his films.  But it was truly as plotless as a biopic can get, and its plotlessness sapped some vitality from the picture and left the main character a bit underdeveloped (rather perversely for what's ostensibly a biopic).

I liked "Maps To The Stars" quite a bit.  It's a scary movie but also a funny one; I laughed several times.  The dialogue as a whole was unapologetically over-the-top, but I thought it hit the mark more often than not.  Some of the narrative choices, especially the presentation of the whole ghost trope, were pretty questionable; I think the ultimate effect was to make "Maps" something of a campy film beyond its knowing campiness.  I didn't experience it as a particularly cutting satire of the entertainment industry, but Cronenberg definitely makes effective use of Hollywood as the setting for a venture into the dark excesses of human behavior.

"Whiplash" was pretty crappy, somewhat to my surprise..  If I wanted to watch a Buddy Rich instructional video, I would have.  If I wanted to watch footage of a bald man obscenely berating and emotionally abusing young men under his authority, I'd have watched the first half of "Full Metal Jacket."  This movie takes subpar renditions of those two ingredients and mixes them into a very conventional plot with thinly-sketched characters, photographed irritatingly when noticeably.  The hero apparently lacks any psychological depth -- his motivations, which are supposed to drive this extreme personal journey of violent emotions,remain opaque to the bitter end.  It's got to be bad news for any movie when Paul Reiser's the one who ends up giving the standout performance...

[viper37]

I watched the "Special Edition" of A New Hope recently. Great movie. Almost everything Lucas added is completely terrible. It is tough to believe that the same guy that did Empire Strikes Back is responsible for these changes and the prequels. It is as if everything he has done in the last 30 years has been one elaborate troll.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Director:
George Lucas
Writer:
George Lucas


Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Director:
Irvin Kershner
Writers:
Leigh Brackett (screenplay), Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay), George Lucas (story)


So, technically, TESB was done by other people, wich explains why it's great
Kasdan is the one Disney brougth back for Ep. 7, so I have high hopes for this one

[CountDeMoney]

Lawrence Kasdan is a miracle worker.

[MadBurgerMaker]

I don't know if it has been mentioned yet, probably since it was announced a few weeks ago, but Amazon picked up The Man in the High Castle.

[Admiral Yi]

American Sniper.  A pinch oversold.

I recommend: wait for cable.

[Sophie Scholl]

Black Sails, season 2.
Nothing says I love you better than the head of your sworn ennemy on a pike.

I'd say it's miles ahead of season 1 in terms of quality.  Except the silly gay stuff they felt compelled to add.

Agreed on both counts.  The gay angle definitely felt forced and didn't line up with the prior storyline.  If they had some type of build up or legitimate backstory to it, it might have made sense.  I almost gave up on the show after the first 3 episodes of the first season which were so decidedly... mediocre at best.  It has definitely picked up steam though.

[The Brain]

Winter's Bone. God she's so hot when she's all poor and responsible and shit.

[CountDeMoney]

Black Sails, season 2.
Nothing says I love you better than the head of your sworn ennemy on a pike.

I'd say it's miles ahead of season 1 in terms of quality.  Except the silly gay stuff they felt compelled to add.

Agreed on both counts.  The gay angle definitely felt forced and didn't line up with the prior storyline.  If they had some type of build up or legitimate backstory to it, it might have made sense.  I almost gave up on the show after the first 3 episodes of the first season which were so decidedly... mediocre at best.  It has definitely picked up steam though.

Sorry fellas, but you just can't have pirates without the gay.  Figured you would have seen it coming in frilly blouses and puffy shirts a mile away.

[Liep]

Black Sails, season 2.
Nothing says I love you better than the head of your sworn ennemy on a pike.

I'd say it's miles ahead of season 1 in terms of quality.  Except the silly gay stuff they felt compelled to add.

Agreed on both counts.  The gay angle definitely felt forced and didn't line up with the prior storyline.  If they had some type of build up or legitimate backstory to it, it might have made sense.  I almost gave up on the show after the first 3 episodes of the first season which were so decidedly... mediocre at best.  It has definitely picked up steam though.

Sorry fellas, but you just can't have pirates without the gay.  Figured you would have seen it coming in frilly blouses and puffy shirts a mile away.