TV/Movies Megathread

[Berkut]

  Philistine.

Please. It was a movie whose only and sole claim to non-mediocrity is the technical film making itself. Which I am sure is really impressive, but I am not a film maker, so I really don't care how hard it was to shoot for its own sake.

Oh look, we have this one long continuous scene! Isnt that amazing? The camera work is just incredible! It is the bestest movie of the year!

Story? Yeah, that makes no sense, is completely predictable, and just weird for the sake of being weird...but not even originally weird. But the camera work! Oh my!

I will grant that the actors acting as actors acting did a great job.

But it is a lot of great jobs in the service of a completely uninteresting, even trite, story, and hence at the end I was like "WTF did I just watch? And why?"

Completely overrated, but I can certainly understand WHY it was overrated.

[Berkut]

Birdman is like some amazing chef making some amazing creation that takes incredible skill, care, and time. All the other chefs and foodies are amazed and impressed, as it is super difficult to pull off.

But the guy eating the food (me) notes that it doesn't taste very good.

[Ed Anger]

I've yet to watch the original. is it any good? (I know the premise)

Excellent date night movie.

[Sheilbh]

I've yet to watch the original. is it any good? (I know the premise)

Excellent date night movie.

Switch off the TV at the end. Turn to them, arm running along the back of the sofa, and ask 'thoughts?'

[Josephus]

I've yet to watch the original. is it any good? (I know the premise)

Excellent date night movie.

Switch off the TV at the end. Turn to them, arm running along the back of the sofa, and ask 'thoughts?'

Ok. Ill try that. Guaranteed to get lucky, right?

[Ideologue]

Also tons more of Community, which is still great, although by the end of season 3 Abed is maybe getting too out-there for the show's good.  I mean, the dude started at 11 and he just keeps turning up the crazy volume.  Pierce is still my favorite because he gets the most outre things to say for everyone else to react to.

I'm sure you've been warned about season 4, but I'll warn you again.  Skip it if you can avoid being a completionist.  S5 also doesn't live up to the greatness that is S1-3, but is less of a drop off.  S6 is pretty close to S5 but sadder because more of the core cast is gone, although there are some nice additions.

I have not been so warned. :/  I am probably a completionist.  I wanna see the new web stuff.

Ide, I also would give Avengers Ultron a B. They could have made Ultron more evil and destructive and the relationship with his maker that he is supposed to hate, that may have given it a B+ right there. Also the "romantic" arc felt unnatural.

It did make me laugh a few times, and gave me plenty of visual nerd porn to entertain me. I also gasped at the Hammer picking up. Oh, and I fell for the "this character will die set up" but someone else dies.

I think it's the most on-consensus review I ever wrote.  It's not bad, but struggles to be good.  I strongly agree that they fail to capitalize on the strong central Frankenstein story.

Tim, I'm not in love with that part either, but mainly because I thought the entire subplot was forced.

P.S.: Birdman is rad.  I think it's Oscar win was a little silly, but it didn't completely fail to deserve it or anything.  Berkut, if you want a long take film that really doesn't have a point, try Russian Ark.

[celedhring]

I liked Birdman a lot, but this year's Oscar field was relatively poor. In 2013 it wouldn't have had a sniff, for example, yet this year it was clearly the most deserving film alongside Whiplash.

[Maladict]

Birdman is like some amazing chef making some amazing creation that takes incredible skill, care, and time. All the other chefs and foodies are amazed and impressed, as it is super difficult to pull off.

But the guy eating the food (me) notes that it doesn't taste very good.

Philistine wasn't so far off, then.

[lustindarkness]

I enjoyed Birdman, but in my opinion it was overhyped.

[Berkut]

Birdman is like some amazing chef making some amazing creation that takes incredible skill, care, and time. All the other chefs and foodies are amazed and impressed, as it is super difficult to pull off.

But the guy eating the food (me) notes that it doesn't taste very good.

Philistine wasn't so far off, then.

Very possible.

[Barrister]

A new Muppets TV show has been ordered for the fall.

[KRonn]

A new Muppets TV show has been ordered for the fall.

I'm sure your kids are rejoicing over this news!   

[Barrister]

A new Muppets TV show has been ordered for the fall.

I'm sure your kids are rejoicing over this news!   

My kids.  Sure. 

[Ideologue]

Spring (2015). An alleged horror movie (and an alleged romantic hybrid of the genre) that starts off reasonably strong, goes to some weird places, and in the end is quite terrible.  One of the lesser darlings of last year's festival circuit, it's not gotten nearly the buzz of The Babadook or It Follows (which is a good thing), but it's been mentioned in a lot of the same conversations, although it really shouldn't be.  C

[Ed Anger]

Magnum Force. Real policing.

4 out of 5 Hal Holbrooks.