TV/Movies Megathread

[Syt]

Just watched Django Unchained. Although I had heard good things I was surprised by how good it actually was. Goes to show that Tarantino actually can do a good conventional genre flick with one main plot, no complicated flashbacks and with a minimum of Tarantino dialogue (though the bit with the hoods had me laughing tears). Waltz is the same character type as in Inglorious Basterds, only a good guy this time. Di Caprio is hamming it up to 11. Foxx does a decent job as straight man, understated and sombre. Biggest surprise to me was Sam Jackson who shows that he can act if he wants to and not only play the tough looking badass. The last half hour was not as good as the rest, but I thought a fitting conclusion - finishing the Brunhilde legend allred to earlier, and proving that Django has come into his own and doesn't require his mentor anymore. Some of the bits depicting hw slaves are treated were pretty sombering, more so than I would have expected from QT. And what's with Don Johnson playing racist southerners?

[Syt]

A few more thoughts: this was certainly the western with most uses of the N-word since Blazing Saddles (and probably tops that).

Again, surprised how conventional the movie was compared to Tarantino's other works - not that it works to the film's detriment in this case: it's a glowing love letter to the spaghetti western genre.

I thought there was a bit of a disconnect in the tones of the violence. The shootouts, and the violence by the heroes is almost cartoonishly overblown with buckets of blood. At the same time, the violence fostered upon the slaves is gritty and realistic, and tries to avoid too much detail. Some of the shots kinda wanted to make me shout "SYMBOLISM!!! OMGWTFBBQ!!!" in Film-Brain-style, because they were so unsubtle - like the one with the blood spraying over the white cotton.

You could see that the actors had buckets of fun with their roles, and that's infectious for the audience.

[Josquius]

Cloud Atlas- At first I Was thinking its the best thing ever. But boy does it drag on. Think I dozed off in the middle. It was good but not the sheer awesomeness I had been expecting.

[The Larch]

I thought there was a bit of a disconnect in the tones of the violence. The shootouts, and the violence by the heroes is almost cartoonishly overblown with buckets of blood. At the same time, the violence fostered upon the slaves is gritty and realistic, and tries to avoid too much detail.

Mmm, I watched it last saturday and didn't come to realize this separation of violence in two different levels depending on the victims. I guess I just filled it mentally under "Violence" and got done with it.

[Syt]

Well, maybe it's my impression, but I think there's two kinds of violence going on for narrative purposes - the heroes are meant to be cheered, so the effects are cartoonishly overblown, because we want them to give the baddies a good thrashing. I mean, look at the instances where a guy is wounded on the ground and gets hit by a few more straight bullets - the audience laughs.

Look instead at the whipping, torturing or being torn apart by dogs (or the Mandingo Fight) which are gritty, (mostly) realistic, not shown in too graphic detail, and overall very uncomfortable to elicit sympathy for the victims.

Just like the movie's tone kept switching between a fun, jovial tone and the serious tone (and actually pulling it off for the most part without mood whiplash).

[The Larch]

I don't thik it's just your impression, IMO you're spot on about it. Violence against black slaves in the movie is brutal, while violence against the slavers is over the top.

[garbon]

He wanted to spoon feed gratification.

[The Minsky Moment]

Can somebody explain to me the rationale behind a year delay (or almost) between S2 and S3 of Game of Throne?  Other than the  money factor (greedy executives trying to cash in on the previous season's returns for their quarterly bonuses reviews) that is?

yes clearly the way to increase the "quarterly bonuses" (whatever those are) is to decrease your viewership.

The reality is they need all the delay they can get so that the writer can get to the end.  Expect about 5-10 years between 4 and 5.

[crazy canuck]

The reality is they need all the delay they can get so that the writer can get to the end.  Expect about 5-10 years between 4 and 5.

[Liep]

Cube. Good film and thrilling all the way to the end, proves that script > cgi.

8 rooms out of 10.

[Josephus]

Yeah, that was a good movie.

[Syt]

Too bad Cube 2: Hypercube was such a letdown. I still have to watch Cube 0, though.

[Josquius]

Has anyone else seen the new episodes of Yes Prime Minister?
Only seen the first episode but so far its pretty good. Better than the new Red Dwarfs anyway.

[Sophie Scholl]

I finally managed to catch Shadow of the Vampire.  Wow.  Great film.  I've seen Nosferatu a few times, and being versed in it added so many additional layers of awesome to the movie.  Throw in my love of silent movies and Murnau's works and you have all kinds of fantastic elements at play.

[katmai]

You hadn't seen it till now?!?!