TV/Movies Megathread

[Ideologue]

Breaking Bad finale was teh awesome. As expected.

[spoiler]The Schwartzes got off lightly.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Ultimately, leaving Grey Matter was his own fault and he knew it. Also, he found the best chance left open to him to get some money to his kids. They'll probably turn the money over once they've had time to think about it, but it's not a certainty.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I was pleased to see Badger and Skinny Pete one more time.

I really enjoyed the episode.

Jesse's gonna OD within a week, isn't he? [/spoiler]

[Ideologue]

Btw, does "Felina" have any significance other than its anagram?

[CountDeMoney]

[spoiler]Jesse's gonna OD within a week, isn't he? [/spoiler]

[spoiler]
He's going to freebase the kid.[/spoiler]

[Ideologue]

Your spoiler's hanging out.

Also, lol.

[Camerus]

[spoiler]To what extent do you think the Schwarzes actually did Walt wrong vs. his victim complex?[/spoiler]

[Eddie Teach]

I thought it was really cool of Prince Charles to do the show, btw.

[Ideologue]

Camerus--Me: zero.  CdM: they are pure evil.

[spoiler]I just realized that I love "Felina," and it may in fact be my favorite Breaking Bad episode after "Face Off", because it proves Jesse was right all along: they needed to build a robot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNYSq-A2jY0[/spoiler]

[CountDeMoney]

[spoiler]To what extent do you think the Schwarzes actually did Walt wrong vs. his victim complex?[/spoiler]

I posted my theory on that a few pages ago.

[viper37]

I dunno.  I think they topped BSG easily by doing nothing.

you are beyond hope.

And Beowulf deserved a B, at least.  The original story was probably closer to this movie, before it was "sanitized" by monks.

[Sheilbh]

And Beowulf deserved a B, at least.  The original story was probably closer to this movie, before it was "sanitized" by monks.

What?

Edit: Also it's a dreadful dreadful film aside from anything else. I love Ray Winstone so it pains me but still...

[viper37]

And Beowulf deserved a B, at least.  The original story was probably closer to this movie, before it was "sanitized" by monks.

What?

Edit: Also it's a dreadful dreadful film aside from anything else. I love Ray Winstone so it pains me but still...

What we know of the story comes from the writings of middle age monks.  It was an oral tale before that.  It was probably "spicier" than what has come to us today, what is taught in anglo-saxons schools to kids.

Take a look at Perreault, or Brother Grimm's tales.  Snow White and Cinderella weren't exactly the children's tales we got today, via Disney.  The basis for these oral stories were way, way darker than what they are today, as far as we know.  I don't think it's unreasonable to assume the same process applies to anglo-saxons tales.  I doubt it's exclusive to France&Germany.

As for the movie in itsefl, it was good.  Not great, but it was good.  It deserves way more than a C.

[Ideologue]

I gave it a C+.

I didn't like its aesthetic very much.  Didn't feel it matched the story.

Also, there's no explanation as to why Beowulf feels sad when he's old.  Dude, everything turned out great--you got a castle and a drinking hall and you swive bitches all the time, what's your problem?

[Sheilbh]

What we know of the story comes from the writings of middle age monks.  It was an oral tale before that.  It was probably "spicier" than what has come to us today, what is taught in anglo-saxons schools to kids.

We know Beowulf from a single manuscript that survived from the 11th century (which is a terrifying reflection of how much literature we've lost), the best guess is during the reign of Canute. We don't know that it was actually transcribed by monks - Anglo-Saxon England had one of the most vibrant secular literary cultures in Christendom at that time. But I think scholars have identified two scribes and one is almost certainly a monk. But there is literally one original(-ish) copy of Beowulf. It's not a folk-tale that's been adapted by, or a story that recurs in Medieval writing, it's an incredibly fortuitous survival.

There's two big arguments there which are just uncertain and both sides are equally plausible. There's an argument that it's part of an Anglo-Saxon oral tradition that was transcribed a few centuries later in the 11th century, but there's also very strong arguments that it could actually be roughly contemporary with its transcription.

But there's also a huge debate over whether Beowulf comes from a pagan oral tradition that was adapted by a Christian oral tradition (Tolkien's view) in which case the paganism is both archaic and deeply felt, or whether it's a fundamentally Christian poem set in the pagan world (I think this argument's stronger) which sees it as sort-of a Christian elegy for the pagan past.

Take a look at Perreault, or Brother Grimm's tales.  Snow White and Cinderella weren't exactly the children's tales we got today, via Disney.  The basis for these oral stories were way, way darker than what they are today, as far as we know.  I don't think it's unreasonable to assume the same process applies to anglo-saxons tales.  I doubt it's exclusive to France&Germany.

Beowulf is pretty cyclical (as was the Anglo-Saxon view of the world) the ending is foreshadowed at the beginning. It ends with Beowulf's corpse being burned in a giant funeral pyre while the women and his people sing funeral dirges around him - a 'void of gladness'. The people have lost their lord but, more damagingly, their social structure's come unpinned. Beowulf's thanes abandon him (except for Wiglaf) which is why he's mortally wounded in the battle with the dragon. Similarly the lordly giving of gifts stops, Beowulf is buried with the dragon's treasure rather than distributing it as a good lord (and we're told he's a great one) to his loyal people.

Without their great lord and without the social glue of lord, thanes and hall we're told that his people will, invariably be invaded by all neighbours and made slaves. Beowulf's wife 'in deepest grief' makes her dirge 'again and yet again' she foresees 'dread days of evil' for herself and her people. At the end of Beowulf we're told, quite plainly, the future is terrifying battle, much death, slavery and shame.

Beowulf is plenty dark on its own. And personally that ending seems, if anything, darker than Hollywood's version which cut the dragon and made it all about Grendel and his mother, and left Wiglaf as King after Beowulf.

[Eddie Teach]

Also, there's no explanation as to why Beowulf feels sad when he's old.  Dude, everything turned out great--you got a castle and a drinking hall and you swive bitches all the time, what's your problem?

There's always reason to feel sad when you're old. Either you haven't done much and are filled with regret, or you've done a lot and it's coming to an end.

[Queequeg]

Sheilbh, do we know how important Beowulf was in Anglo-Saxon society?