TV/Movies Megathread

[Ideologue]

Regarding American influence over film, I know.  That's why The Thick-Walled Room sat on a shelf for three years (although that was a case of self-censorship on distributor Shochiku's part, not an actual decision handed down by our occupation officials).

I wonder how The Human Condition trilogy actually did in Japan.  I'm kind of surprised it was funded.

And it was a dig at Italian Neorealism.  It's the cinema of poors.

[celedhring]

My favorite pure Neorrealist film is Germania Anno Cero (I'm so hip I use the Italian names). It's the bleakest, darkest, post-WWII film I have ever seen. It was heavily slammed at the time, and it was tacitally banned in Germany until the 70s - one of the reasons being it gave so little hope for the future of Germany that it was deemed to be demoralizing. The film was fortunately wrong.

Of course, it was made by an Italian - and Rome Open City already frolicked in the "It was the Germans' fault!!!" excuse - but I love how it doesn't present easy ways out for Germany, which the more establishment antiwar German films of the time (like The Bridge) did. It is genuinely one of the most depressing films I have ever seen, mostly because the Neorrealist style makes it all look so truthful (despite being overly melodramatic).

In any case, only the vistas of bombed out Berlin in the late 40s are worth of a watch, imho. It's a rather short movie.

[Ideologue]

German Neorealism would have some bite to it; it's ready-made post-apocalyptic production design.

[celedhring]

German Neorealism would have some bite to it; it's ready-made post-apocalyptic production design.

Yeah...

[Sheilbh]

Very sad news about Bob Hoskins

[FunkMonk]

Very sad news about Bob Hoskins

[Savonarola]

Danger Ahead (1926)

I saw this comic melodrama in a collection of silent shorts.  It features a villain (Relentless Rudolph) who wears a stove pipe hat, twirls his mustache and says "Curses" at every setback.  It was interesting to me that this was a stock comic villain forty years before there was a Snidely Whiplash.

The most surprising part, though, was at the thrilling brawl on top of a train, one of the villainous henchmen kneels down, prostates himself three times and says in title cards "Help me Allah, Save me Allah, You know me Al."  I think Weiss Brothers Production would be getting a fatwa if they made something like that today.

[Ideologue]

 

Sav, you know 20s and 30s film.  Was the Invisible Man in fact the first villain to call people "fools!" in every other line of dialogue?  God, I love that movie.

[Savonarola]

Sav, you know 20s and 30s film.  Was the Invisible Man in fact the first villain to call people "fools!" in every other line of dialogue?  God, I love that movie.

I don't know of anything earlier where the villain says "Fools" so often.  Also I don't think anyone ever did it better than Claude Rains.

[CountDeMoney]

(EW.com) -- Starz has picked up a two season, 20-episode order of half-hour scripted comedy series "Blunt Talk" from Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") and Jonathan Ames ("Bored to Death") and starring Patrick Stewart.

The series follows British newsman Walter Blunt (Stewart) on a mission to conquer American cable news by sharing his opinion and guidance, even when they are not wanted. Add a dysfunctional news staff, numerous ex-wives and children, and an alcoholic manservant, and you've got a recipe for comedy gold.

"I'm beyond thrilled to be working with Jonathan Ames and Sir Patrick Stewart," said Seth Macfarlane in a statement. "Jonathan's creative talent is formidable, and his writing style is wholly original, hilarious, and provocative. And of course, Patrick Stewart is one of the greatest actors alive today. His skill and versatility are unmatched, and he will excel as the star of his own show. Thank you Starz for allowing us to bring Walter Blunt to life!"

The series comes from Media Rights Capital, the folks behind MacFarlane's "Ted" and Netflix's "House of Cards," and will be executive produced via MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door Productions, Inc. MacFarlane and Stewart previously collaborated on the TV animated comedy "American Dad."

"My career took an abrupt and radical left turn when Seth McFarlane created CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock on 'American Dad,'" said Patrick Stewart, who will next appear on the big screen in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." "This new character, Walter Blunt, is not at all like Avery, thank God, because this is live action and I am a Knight of the Realm. Blunt is, however, much smarter than Avery and has his own TV show, which has to be better than being Deputy Director of the CIA."

"In the character of Walter Blunt, Seth, Jonathan and Patrick have found the alchemy that makes a borderline alcoholic, mad-genius-Brit the man you want fighting in America's corner," said Starz CEO Chris Albrecht. "Seth and Jonathan have struck the right balance between biting wit and outright absurdity in building this world, and we cannot wait for Patrick to breathe life into Walter."

The series is slated to premiere some time next year.

This could be very good with a very good Patrick Stewart or very bad with a very good Patrick Stewart.

[viper37]

British American Comedy: - -
Patrick Stewart: + +

Meh, maybe I'll watch an episode or two.

[Syt]

The transformation of Patrick Stewart is amazing. When he first came to Star Trek TNG, his first big TV production, he was reportedly rather rigid and no nonsense to the other staff who were constantly joking around to lighten the mood between shots.

Then he went on to write a rather funny foreword for a trade paperback of Transmetropolitan which surprised me at the time. And then went on to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_BX8UjVUvA and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg_cwI1Xj4M

[Ideologue]

I've been reading some interviews with Toho and Daiei's kaiju film crews.

When asked why some publicity stills show the monster Gigan using a red beam attack, while this ability isn't manifest in the film, special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano responded thusly:

I very much was interested in the sixth sense of human beings at the time. I knew that many statues of Buddha had auras around their heads, and I had read an article about strange rays coming out of the foreheads of human beings. So, I originally intended to have a ray come out of Gigan's forehead. However, I changed my mind because the ability didn't seem to fit the cyborg. It fit only human beings. That's why I didn't use it.

[Norgy]

Anyone seen Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter/Generation War?

I thought it was a very good drama. World War II seen from the perspective of four young German friends.

[The Brain]

Anyone seen Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter/Generation War?

I thought it was a very good drama. World War II seen from the perspective of four young German friends.

Did one of them die heroically?