TV/Movies Megathread

[Scipio]

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/heeeeeres-napoleon-spielberg-developing-kubrick-script-as-tv-miniseries/

/fap

The idea that Kubrick had to give up to make Barry Lyndon.

Is this really wise?

The silent epic Napoleon is probably the best; I don't think Kubrick could have equaled it, and I'm certain Spielberg won't come close.  We'll get some sort of Shaving Ryan's Privates bullshit with overwrought emotionalism and cheesy sentimentality; Napoleon bewailing the loss of individual soldiers on the march back from Russia in the mode of Liam Neeson's Schindler- "with this watch, I could have saved a division!", etc., etc.

I have no confidence whatsoever in Spielberg's ability to handle this subject matter.  There's no great American work about the Napoleonic era, so there's nothing for him to adapt; if we're lucky he'll tack some sort of Boy's Own story on the era and have done with it.

[Admiral Yi]

Joffrey is a male version of Cersei.  Vain, pointlessly cruel and unreasonably proud.

Cersei's cruelty is always very much to the point.

[CountDeMoney]

I have no confidence whatsoever in Spielberg's ability to handle this subject matter.  There's no great American work about the Napoleonic era, so there's nothing for him to adapt; if we're lucky he'll tack some sort of Boy's Own story on the era and have done with it.

Yeah, he doesn't handle morally ambiguous characters very well; even Schindler's early character development made him less of an exploiter and more of an industrialist Han Solo, all roguish charm.   It's just not Spielberg's style.

And no, I don't think Kubrick could've done any better with Napoleon, considering his body of work either.

[Syt]

Besides, for battle scale, nothing will ever rival Bondarchuk's War & Peace for which they used tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers in historical costume. Just not the same with CGI.

[Scipio]

Besides, for battle scale, nothing will ever rival Bondarchuk's War & Peace for which they used tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers in historical costume. Just not the same with CGI.

Reminder: Bondarchuk's epic is available on Youtube, unabridged.

[Syt]

It's actually amazing - I grew up watching the version with Henry Fonda. Then I read the books, and when I saw Bondarchuk's movie, almost all characters looked pretty much as I imagined them from Tolstoy's work. It's the only movie where I had that; and I consider it a fluke (since everyone imagines book locations/characters differently). It helped that Tolstoy himself only gives a few striking details about a person's looks, and they seem to have cast accordingly.

[Admiral Yi]

There's a version with Henry Fonda? 

[Syt]

There's a version with Henry Fonda? 

[Josephus]

Cersei is smart, devious, cunning, qualities with Joffrey lacks, though maybe he could have developed those if he had lived longer.

Holy spoiler, batman

[Scipio]

Cersei is smart, devious, cunning, qualities with Joffrey lacks, though maybe he could have developed those if he had lived longer.

Holy spoiler, batman

Sounds like vindication.  That kid should have been strangled in the womb.

[Neil]

Cersei is smart, devious, cunning, qualities with Joffrey lacks, though maybe he could have developed those if he had lived longer.

Not exactly cunning.  She's good at using her what power she can scrounge together, but pretty much every 'smart' character in the series seems to run rings around her.  Tywin, Tyrion, Olenna Tyrell, Varys, Doran Martell and Littlefinger all seem to be much, much better than her.  And her bumbling allowed the High Sparrow to pretty much cripple the Lannister monarchy.

[Ed Anger]

Jack the Giant Slayer.

Okay to pass the time.

[Razgovory]

Cersei is smart, devious, cunning, qualities with Joffrey lacks, though maybe he could have developed those if he had lived longer.

Holy spoiler, batman

Sounds like vindication.  That kid should have been strangled in the womb.

Joffrey is the most annoying character in all the novels.  He seems to do evil stuff just 'cause.

[Sheilbh]

I've been watching Ripper Street on BBC America.  Not a bad show, but it amuses me as yet another example of shows I watch intermingling in terms of casts.  So far Bronn, Jorah Mormont, Barristan Selmy, and the future Blackfish have shown up in White Chapel.   I presume the filming locations are close together.

Ripper Street's filmed in Dublin, so year.

I think it's great. I got a Deadwood vibe off the writing.

[Josquius]

Cersei is smart, devious, cunning, qualities with Joffrey lacks, though maybe he could have developed those if he had lived longer.

Holy spoiler, batman

Sounds like vindication.  That kid should have been strangled in the womb.

Joffrey is the most annoying character in all the novels.  He seems to do evil stuff just 'cause.

This is different to a lot of teenage boys how? :p