TV/Movies Megathread

[garbon]

G.B.F

I'm loving see Megan Mullay supporting (being supported by?) these kinda low rent gay teen comedies.

[Ideologue]

To Be Or Not To Be (1942).  They could've killed Hitler!  But they didn't?  A fun comedy-thriller-propaganda thing by Ernst Lubitsch.

B+

[Josephus]

than an out-and-out race against the clock suspense.

I never felt that watching Homeland.  I found it quite the opposite actually, very, very slow pace.

They dragged it out a bit but the last couple episodes of Season 1 were pretty suspenseful

[Josquius]

I've started watching the fargo tv series. It is really rather good. I didn't recognize Martin Freeman at first, he does a good job.

[Ideologue]

Scanners (1981).  So great.  Someone asked, so I'll say that there was nothing wrong with the Criterion BD, colors-wise, as far as I could tell.  (Bearing in mind that the other times I've seen Scanners have been on Youtube. )  It looked good, though; real good.  The box is a fucking treasure in itself (not unlike Criterion's Videodrome release).  Fantastic movie and a fantastic presentation overall.

It also comes with Cronenberg's first feature film, Stereo, which I haven't seen, but to which I am looking forward.  I wonder if Shivers will get a Criterion disc by itself or if it'll be a feature on The Brood.

A+

[celedhring]

The Grandmaster (2013). Wong Kar Wai does wuxia, what's not to like? This is the biopic of the guy that eventually trained Bruce Lee and that's a bit of a folk hero in China. Despite being based on a real character, this is classic wuxia, with over the top fight scenes and a lot of the genre tropes.

It's a strange film, an In The Mood for Love where people also come to blows. The main drive is the romance between the (married) protagonist and the daughter of the grandmaster of a rival martial arts school, with the backdrop of WWII and the post-war. It's narrated very much in Wai's hyperstylized yet intimate style, which you may love (I do), or hate. He also attempts to apply it to the martial arts scenes, which are narrated in a very intimate way that probably works a bit against the flamboyant wuxia choreography. Lots of close-ups and attention to the characters faces and reactions - I liked it, to be honest, it's certainly unique.

As a curiosity, the Chinese mainland (this is an HK film) also produced another flick about the same character, depicting some of the very same events, with a pretty over the top nationalistic bent.

[Ideologue]

It's narrated very much in Wai's hyperstylized yet intimate style, which you may love (I do), or hate. He also attempts to apply it to the martial arts scenes, which are narrated in a very intimate way that probably works a bit against the flamboyant wuxia choreography. Lots of close-ups and attention to the characters faces and reactions - I liked it, to be honest, it's certainly unique.

It's exactly why I hated it, yes.   It's practically chaos cinema.  (With some pretty gorgeous exceptions where Wong steps back and lets shit happen.)  The story is also atrocious, the storytelling moreso, with important events that are 1000% more interesting than anything seen on screen being related by title card, not just anticlimactically but in a manner calculated to destroy climaxes to come.

Funny, though, I liked 2046 and In the Mood For Love.  Maybe because those movies didn't place demands that Wong's style couldn't satisfy?

[celedhring]

It's narrated very much in Wai's hyperstylized yet intimate style, which you may love (I do), or hate. He also attempts to apply it to the martial arts scenes, which are narrated in a very intimate way that probably works a bit against the flamboyant wuxia choreography. Lots of close-ups and attention to the characters faces and reactions - I liked it, to be honest, it's certainly unique.

It's exactly why I hated it, yes.   It's practically chaos cinema.  (With some pretty gorgeous exceptions where Wong steps back and lets shit happen.)  The story is also atrocious, the storytelling moreso, with important events that are 1000% more interesting than anything seen on screen being related by title card, not just anticlimactically but in a manner calculated to destroy climaxes to come.

Funny, though, I liked 2046 and In the Mood For Love.  Maybe because those movies didn't place demands that Wong's style couldn't satisfy?

Aye, I agree that Wai's narrative talents are probably a mismatch for this kind of film. He ignores some important events (like pretty much all the Japanese occupation) to jump to smaller ones or even just vignettes that interest him more. It works well on his romance films, but it's awkward in this one. Again, I liked it probably because how much different it is to your regular wuxia flick, but I concede it's definitely an acquired taste.

The story makes sense if you approach it as the tale of why Ip and Gong can't be together, which is a Wong Kar Wai staple.

[LaCroix]

re-watching the sopranos. i forgot just how good its first season was, some technical issues and AJ aside

[celedhring]

Also, Ide, I suppose you watched the butchered American version, right? The one I saw is the regular one, which is 20 minutes longer and I read fleshes out stuff that it's explained through title cards in the yank one.

[Ideologue]

Well, I saw it in the theaters.  I've considered revisiting it with the longer cut.  I might get around to it one of these days.  I'm dubious as to whether it restores enough to make the whole endeavor worthwhile--but I'm also aware that it is almost certainly at least better.

[dps]

To Be Or Not To Be (1942).  They could've killed Hitler!  But they didn't?  A fun comedy-thriller-propaganda thing by Ernst Lubitsch.

B+

Much better than the Mel Brooks remake.

[Ideologue]

I think that's in my Mel Brooks Collection, but I haven't watched it.  (Iirc, he just stars, but did not direct or write.)

Watched half of Weekend.  Am taking a break before tackling the other.  Jesus fucking Christ.

[Sheilbh]

(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.

[mongers]

'Rush' - a nice retelling of a classic life and death struggle.