TV/Movies Megathread

[Josquius]

Mad Max 1 isn't Mad Max. Its relationship with the sequels is strange.  Feels like a very different setting.
It's not mad max 2. But it's ok.

[The Brain]

Last Days On Mars. [spoiler]I was hoping it wouldn't be zombies. It was zombies.[/spoiler]

[celedhring]

Mad Max 1 isn't Mad Max. Its relationship with the sequels is strange.  Feels like a very different setting.
It's not mad max 2. But it's ok.

Continuity between all movies in the saga is off, and that's being kind. I wouldn't obsess about it. Heck, I'm pretty sure Miller doesn't care that much given they changed the gender of Max's child to a girl in Fury Road.

[Tonitrus]

Mad Max = world is in social/economic decline, but no apocalypse yet.

Road Warrior = Whoops, there was an apocalypse...and the only clothing to survive was black leather and hockey masks.

Beyond Thunderdome = Max saves some lost kids, tries to convince them that a place with water/vegetation would be better than a nuclear-hallowed Syndey...fails, and gets left behind.

[CountDeMoney]

Movies
'Ben-Hur' Is Latest Flop for Paramount
By BROOKS BARNES AUG. 21, 2016
New York Times

LOS ANGELES — During new pressure on Viacom to turn around Paramount Pictures, the studio misfired again over the weekend: "Ben-Hur," which cost Paramount and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about $100 million to make, not including marketing expenses, arrived to a disastrous $11.4 million in domestic ticket sales.

Big-budget flops are no longer uncommon in Hollywood. What is unusual is the patience that Paramount's corporate owner has afforded the studio. In addition to "Ben-Hur," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" and "Zoolander 2" failed to find audiences for Paramount.

"Star Trek Beyond" has been a hit. But domestic ticket sales for that film trail its series predecessor by 36 percent. ("Star Trek Beyond" is still rolling out in major markets overseas.) On Friday, as Viacom ousted its chief executive, a media analyst, Michael Nathanson, called Paramount a "truly shocking" problem, noting in a report that the studio may lose $350 million this year.

Paramount did protect itself financially on "Ben-Hur" by teaming with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which paid for 80 percent of the production costs. Paramount also believes that "Ben-Hur" can take in $100 million overseas. "Movies like 'Ghostbusters,' 'Independence Day' and 'Ben-Hur' certainly looked like they were going to be big going into the summer, but audiences, especially in the world of remakes, have been very tough," Rob Moore, Paramount's vice chairman, said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and counting Mark Burnett as a producer, "Ben-Hur" appeared to run into several problems. It was a poorly reviewed remake of a celebrated classic for which few were clamoring. Moviegoers have also generally ignored sword-and-sandal epics in recent years.

In terms of turnaround efforts at Paramount, Mr. Moore pointed toward coming films like "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," with Tom Cruise; "Arrival," a science-fiction thriller; and "Fences," an adaptation of the August Wilson play starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis that is seen as an Oscar candidate.

For the weekend, "Suicide Squad" (Warner Bros.) was again the No. 1 ticket seller. It took in about $20.7 million, for a three-week domestic total of $262.3 million, according to comScore. (Overseas, "Suicide Squad" has taken in $310.4 million.)

Among new wide-releases, the R-rated comedic drama "War Dogs" (Warner Bros.) performed the best. Costing at least $45 million to make, "War Dogs," which received mediocre reviews, collected an estimated $14.3 million. The animated movie "Kubo and the Two Strings" (Focus Features), which delighted most critics and cost Laika Entertainment $55 million to make, arrived to about $12.6 million in ticket sales.

[HVC]

This has been a bad few years for movies. Maybe they'll stop paying big bucks for cgi and actually start making good scripts... Nah probably not.

[viper37]

Maybe they'll stop paying big bucks for cgi and actually start making good scripts... Nah probably not.

oh, they'll do it.  Just until the next blockbusters comes racking in the mega-profits and then they'll be back at it.

[Hamilcar]

I give you: Banglar King Kong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c8yrdi__sQ

[CountDeMoney]

We never should've given that side of the planet the secret of fire.

[Valmy]

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and counting Mark Burnett as a producer, "Ben-Hur" appeared to run into several problems. It was a poorly reviewed remake of a celebrated classic for which few were clamoring.

Right. Why? I just didn't get it.

[The Minsky Moment]

I blame Ideologue.  Not him personally, but what he represents (i.e. the tron remake is not only acceptable, but great cinema).  We need to get back to the 70s and drive that whole mentality out, and the CGI horse it came in on.

[CountDeMoney]

Too late, Minsky.  The Age of Millennial Assburgers is upon us. All CGI for 90 minutes, max.

[viper37]

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and counting Mark Burnett as a producer, "Ben-Hur" appeared to run into several problems. It was a poorly reviewed remake of a celebrated classic for which few were clamoring.

Right. Why? I just didn't get it.

see CdM's comment about fire

[HVC]

Too late, Minsky.  The Age of Millennial Assburgers is upon us. All CGI for 90 minutes, max.

hey the execs making the decisions are squarely in your age bracket. So it its not the millenials fault, since they're not watching this crap, it's your generation who gets the blame now.

[CountDeMoney]

The CEO of Paramount, Brad Alan Grey, is 58 years old. So, no.