TV/Movies Megathread

[celedhring]

Is the plot of Usual Suspects a 100% lie? I mean, the attack on the boat does happen. I always thought the broad framework of what Verbal tells Kujan is true - how Soze (himself) played Keaton and the others to do his bidding - he just obscures the names/details to Kujan so he can't track him down later.

The reason you think that is the flashbacks he's narrating.  Because the director confirms it with optics.  But we know from the start Postlewaite would not introduce himself as Kobayashi because Soze had not seen that coffee cup yet.  If that scene is a lie every scene *could* be a lie. 

I think that's a plot hole more than anything else - but the flashbacks can still lie regardless.

But I think there's enough outside stuff that confirms the broad strokes of Kint's story - we know Keaton is real and was on the boat and faced Soze in it (the opening scene is not connected to Kint's narrative), we know a Hungarian survivor identifies him as Soze, etc... Kint gives fake names, locations, etc... (we know Kobayashi is a real person, just not by that name) but the broad strokes of the narrative - him as Keyser Soze tricked a bunch of hitmen into assaulting a boat to protect his identity - is true. 

We don't know Keaton was on the boat.  We have 22 unidentifiable burned bodies and Kint's testimony.

We have a lineup, 22 dead bodies, and whatever Kint says.

We know Keaton was on the boat and met Keyser Soze there (Keaton uses the name), who shot him. It's the first scene of the movie. That scene is not illustrating Kint's testimony. It's a real flashback.

Kint during the first half tries to obscure the whole thing is tied to Soze, with all the mumbo jumbo about Redfoot and the heist, But when the surviving Hungarian wakes up and spits out the Keyser Soze name, he has to retool and acknowledge it while still protecting himself. So he tries to make it look like Keaton was Soze (something that we should know it's false, btw).

I haven't watched the movie in a long time, but that's how I remember it.

Also, the first time I watched the movie my soccer coach had semi-spoiled the ending (I knew Kint was lying), so I've never watched it full fresh. 

[Admiral Yi]

Convincing stuff celery.

[Sheilbh]

Reviews seem poor alas.
Though a light and fluffy approach is very much what Superman needed rather than the Snyder angst.

Yeah. I'd also only seen pretty poor reviews but looking at it, it seems like there's a bit of an Atlantic divide on that. The Indy and Telegraph both quite liked it with 4/5 - but everyone else in these isles is "meh" at best. BBC, Guardian, Times, Empire, Irish Indy all giving 2/5. Mark Kermode a bit more positively meh - saying "overall it's a relief" and "I kind of enjoyed it more than I thought I would"

[mongers]

'Heat' - 1st time I've seen this, rather good.

[Syt]

Poker Face Season 2, E 2-3.

E2: fun little episode, with Giancarlo Esposito in a role not quite echoing Gus Fring from Breaking Bad (which seems to be what he's typecast for these days), thought a bit silly. 7/10.

E3: resolving a major plot thread, and having some fun with flashbacks. Rhea Perlman was fun as always, and Simon Helberg and Richard Kind give good performances. SPOILER: If you ever wanted to see Howie Wollowitz gun down Larry David's brother Andy from Curb Your Enthusiasm from behind, the episode has you covered. 7.5/10.

E4: WTF was this? I get it's Florida and it's lampshaded that shit's crazy in Florida, but damn. And that's from someone who loves his absurd/surreal comedy. There's farce and there's trainwreck nonsense. I love Kumail Nanjiani, but even he couldn't quite elevate it for me. 6/10 - some fun bits but ultimately extremely "meh".

[celedhring]

There's a second season of Poker Face?    I loved that show so much

[Syt]

They're releasing 2 episodes per week on Sky over here. It's so far not grabbing me as much as the first (which I thought was absolutely excellent), though it's still fun.

[celedhring]

First season was fantastic reimagining of the 1980s "wanderer solves a mystery of the week" classic TV show with a modern sensibility. I think Rian Johnson should stick to that, it tends to be his best work (Brick, Knives Out - ok, there's Looper too).

[Josquius]

I've never heard of it. Though checking up a TV series by the Knives Out guy?....yes, I'll add that to the list.
Speaking of which damn my backlog of things to watch is immense.

[Darth Wagtaros]

The Residence was good. 

[Duque de Bragança]

F1 the Movie (2025)

Now that's a 4DX movie if there ever was one. Formula (sorry) seems perfected now. Brad Pitt's character is somewhat formulaic (could not avoid it) as well.

Even with a passing knowledge of F1, say watching F1 races 1/3 of century ago, you won't be lost.
Names and teams are real, well most of them excepting the protagonists.
Much more electronics and computers though these days, with constant communication with the pit crew during the race.

A movie to watch in a cinema, for sure. Entertaining and very well done.

Warning: cover of 50 Cent in a foreign language in the soundtrack.

[crazy canuck]

On the F1 app, you can watch a race from the perspective of an individual driver, and you hear all the communication with his race engineer.  It's informative and entertaining.

There is also a YouTuber who puts together the most entertaining radio communications form all the drivers for each race.

[Neil]

I think with Gaiman it hits harder because he seemed one of the "good guys", progressive, trying to platform women and marginalized groups and willing to learn. But especially Sandman feels problematic now as some of it feels like self-insert or "write what you know" too much - like the story about an author keeping the muse Calliope as a sex slave for his "inspiration".

He was a Gen X superstar writer.  They're a pretty sex-obsessed breed, and their way of living doesn't really blend with a younger generation's concern for 'power dynamics' and the like.

[Neil]

He played a major role in Clone Wars and Rebels and had a cameo in Solo.

That small scene in Solo made the movie so much worse.

[crazy canuck]

I think with Gaiman it hits harder because he seemed one of the "good guys", progressive, trying to platform women and marginalized groups and willing to learn. But especially Sandman feels problematic now as some of it feels like self-insert or "write what you know" too much - like the story about an author keeping the muse Calliope as a sex slave for his "inspiration".

He was a Gen X superstar writer.  They're a pretty sex-obsessed breed, and their way of living doesn't really blend with a younger generation's concern for 'power dynamics' and the like.

"They're"?  Are you a millennial?