Author Topic: What movies have you been watching?  (Read 501205 times)

sui generis

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #200 on: July 15, 2018, 03:44:18 PM »
I watched Game Night on a plane yesterday.  Absolutely a movie I thought I would normally deride for it's unbelievable plot devices and silliness, but I actually loved it despite those things and laughed out loud several times.  Still not recommending it wholeheartedly, it just beat my low expectations.  But it was a great plane watch and I thought it had just the right amount of silliness.  Also, I still love Jason Bateman, who I had a crush on in the 80s in Valerie/Valerie's Family/the Hogan Family, though I never did get into Arrested Development.

soccerluvof4

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #201 on: July 18, 2018, 05:03:48 AM »
Watched Brain on Fire last night. I thought it was good and my wife liked it but said the book was a lot better as there was a lot more detail.


Watched this last night! Makes you wonder about how many people have been misdiagnosed. Scary shit. Movie was ok , the story made it being true.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #202 on: July 20, 2018, 08:13:23 PM »
90s action movies! Men in Black and Mission Impossible. Both held up well, and Will Smith and Tom Cruise are weirdly well preserved. The only thing that looked really dated (other than the computers) was Will Smith's "street cop" clothes. Apparently in the 90s being undercover in New York involved a lot of satin.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #203 on: July 28, 2018, 09:46:41 PM »
Caught up with some new releases this weekend--Ready Player One and A Wrinkle in Time. I thought they were both solid, well-cast, and had stunning visual effects. That said, neither of them really grabbed me, probably because I'm not the target demographic for either one.

chaskavitch

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #204 on: July 29, 2018, 06:29:44 AM »
Hook!  Somehow my SIL had never seen it, even though their dad owned a video store until like 2000. 

I still have a ridiculous amount of trouble actually SEEING Dustin Hoffman under that costume, but he did a great job.

sparkytheop

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #205 on: July 29, 2018, 01:52:05 PM »
I went on a road trip this week and wanted to cool off and see a movie not likely to be shown in my hometown (since I can only see a movie once now with Moviepass).  I saw Three Identical Strangers.  It's more a documentary than a movie, but I thought it was interesting.  I was young enough at the time that I don't remember any news stories about the boys.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #206 on: July 30, 2018, 09:52:26 AM »
Add "Victoria and Abdul" to the list--based on a true story about a young (Muslim) Indian servant who Queen Victoria befriended late in life. Judi Dench as Victoria was, as always, excellent (and there was a fun call-back when she mentions her earlier friendship with royal staff member John Brown--since of course Dench also played a younger version of Victoria in a movie depicting that friendship some years ago.) The first half of the movie, which is mostly about Abdul experiencing the weirdness that was the British royal court, is a lot of fun. The second half, which shows how much the court hated Abdul and tried their best to force him out, was a lot less fun to watch.

Johnez

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #207 on: July 30, 2018, 10:48:54 AM »
Watched Extinction last night. I'm a bit indecided on how I feel about the plot twists and premise, but overall very entertaining flick.

GuitarStv

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #208 on: July 30, 2018, 10:59:18 AM »
I watched "Annihilation" this weekend.  I had no idea what it was going to be about heading in.  Interesting movie, it certainly held my attention despite the odd pacing . . . not exactly an uplifting film though.  Plenty of food for thought though.

MasterStache

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #209 on: July 30, 2018, 11:11:50 AM »
Watched Extinction last night. I'm a bit indecided on how I feel about the plot twists and premise, but overall very entertaining flick.
Would you recommend? I watched the previews but was unsure of how it might be.

I watched "Annihilation" this weekend.  I had no idea what it was going to be about heading in.  Interesting movie, it certainly held my attention despite the odd pacing . . . not exactly an uplifting film though.  Plenty of food for thought though.
This move has been on my radar since it came out on rental. Looks like it was well received by a lot of people.

GuitarStv

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #210 on: July 30, 2018, 12:30:35 PM »
I watched "Annihilation" this weekend.  I had no idea what it was going to be about heading in.  Interesting movie, it certainly held my attention despite the odd pacing . . . not exactly an uplifting film though.  Plenty of food for thought though.
This move has been on my radar since it came out on rental. Looks like it was well received by a lot of people.

Definitely a well crafted movie, and one that will provoke some thought well after you've watched it . . . it's the deep undercurrent sadness that really kept me from enjoying it as much as I otherwise would have I think.

jambongris

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #211 on: July 30, 2018, 01:10:37 PM »
Just watched Hannah Gadsby's Nanette on Netflix after hearing it discussed on CBC Radio and it was very powerful. It's ostensibly a stand-up comedy routine but her storytelling is extremely personal and raw. To paraphrase Hannah herself, she does an excellent job balancing tension and humour throughout the routine.

Johnez

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #212 on: July 30, 2018, 01:16:01 PM »
Watched Extinction last night. I'm a bit indecided on how I feel about the plot twists and premise, but overall very entertaining flick.
Would you recommend? I watched the previews but was unsure of how it might be.


I would. I've not seen the preview actually so I can't comment on how accurate they are in portraying the film. It's more of a family fight for survival with sci-fi stuff in the background kind of like Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds instead of a full fledged sci-fi movie. I dug Bright as well, which I know many panned heh.

MasterStache

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #213 on: July 30, 2018, 03:37:43 PM »
Watched Extinction last night. I'm a bit indecided on how I feel about the plot twists and premise, but overall very entertaining flick.
Would you recommend? I watched the previews but was unsure of how it might be.


I would. I've not seen the preview actually so I can't comment on how accurate they are in portraying the film. It's more of a family fight for survival with sci-fi stuff in the background kind of like Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds instead of a full fledged sci-fi movie. I dug Bright as well, which I know many panned heh.

I really enjoyed War of the Worlds. I'll definitely check this out then. Thanks!

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #214 on: July 30, 2018, 09:44:46 PM »
I watched "Annihilation" this weekend.  I had no idea what it was going to be about heading in.  Interesting movie, it certainly held my attention despite the odd pacing . . . not exactly an uplifting film though.  Plenty of food for thought though.
This move has been on my radar since it came out on rental. Looks like it was well received by a lot of people.

Definitely a well crafted movie, and one that will provoke some thought well after you've watched it . . . it's the deep undercurrent sadness that really kept me from enjoying it as much as I otherwise would have I think.

I agree. I wouldn't call it a fun movie, but it was definitely one of the more interesting movies I've seen later, and I felt it was well worth my time.

iris lily

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #215 on: July 31, 2018, 10:05:06 AM »
 I saw two films in the theaters right now:

Eighth Grade, a film about a girl in eighth grade. It is very true to life.

Leave No Trace. A film about a father and daughter who wander. They do not have a home that is on purpose. It is based on a novel that was based on a true life Situation in Portland Forest Park.

Both films were decent, the second one better than the first.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #216 on: August 05, 2018, 08:17:24 PM »
This weekend:

Tomb Raider: I liked it better than the Angelina Jolie version, and the lead actress actually did some acting, which was refreshing for an action movie. Unfortunately, whoever was in charge of lighting the tomb sequences was apparently only equipped with a couple of flashlights, because it was very difficult to see what was happening.

Elysium: I loved the director's first movie, so I was rather disappointed with this one, which is about a dystopia where all the poor people are stuck on a depleted Earth while the rich people live on a fancy satellite. The biggest problem was that there was about twenty pounds worth of plot in a five pound bag, including two separate people trying to get to the satellite for life-saving medical treatment, a human smuggler/revolutionary, an evil mercenary, an evil business tycoon, an evil government conspirator, all with separate goals, a couple of coups, a lot of explosions, etc. etc. The world-building didn't make a whole lot of sense either.

Kings of Pastry: As a change of pace, I watched this documentary about a French professional pastry competition. Basically, if you imagine the Great British Baking Show but with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood as the competitors, you get an idea. It was very good-natured and the pastry/confection being created was really spectacular. Hilariously, one of the judges also appears as a judge on the Netflix show Nailed It!, which is about as far on the other end of the baking spectrum as you can get.

Roadrunner53

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #217 on: August 06, 2018, 07:15:15 AM »
Watched Father of the Year on Netflix. It was stupid funny! Got a few chuckles watching it!

nkt0

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #218 on: August 06, 2018, 07:22:28 AM »
I saw two films in the theaters right now:
Eighth Grade[…]
Leave No Trace[…]
Both films were decent, the second one better than the first.
Saw both of these as well as Tom Cruise. Leave No Trace was excellent; Tom Cruise was very good; Eighth Grade was medium-good.

Warlord1986

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #219 on: August 07, 2018, 06:49:24 AM »
Black Panther.

Damn, that was a good movie.

lexde

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #220 on: August 07, 2018, 08:20:44 AM »
Finally saw Solo, I liked it. Donald Glover made an awesome Lando, I thought.

Also watched Less Than Zero recently which was super depressing but very well done.

And Definitely Maybe, which was really sweet.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #221 on: August 10, 2018, 09:05:11 PM »
After a bunch of fairly mediocre movies, I was ready for a change--so inspired by Robert Redford's recent retirement announcement, jumped in the Wayback Machine for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." I did not realize until I was reading up on it afterward that the movie was written by William Goldman of The Princess Bride. Not everything about it worked almost fifty years(!) later, but an awful lot did, and honestly I could have just watched the young Robert Redford and Paul Newman wear cowboy hats for two hours and ended up perfectly satisfied.

Have also watched "Pride" which I highly recommend if you need a really kind, warm-hearted movie--it's based on a true story about a gay and lesbian activist group that supported striking coal miners in Great Britain in the mid-1980s.

And on Netflix, the new "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" which is a sweet period piece set in the 1940s. Lovely scenery as it's set on the Isle of Guernsey, and a bit of reunion for Downton Abbey cast members--including the actresses who played Lady Sybil, Matthew Crawley's mother Isobel, the Crawleys' niece Lady Rose, and also the actor who played Lady Mary's love interest in the last season.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2018, 07:05:35 PM by Noodle »

Warlord1986

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #222 on: August 14, 2018, 06:29:39 AM »
I watched Thor: Ragnarok. Tom Hiddleston does what Tom Hiddlestons do best: be adorably snarky.

OurTown

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #223 on: August 15, 2018, 12:40:31 PM »
We watched "The Aviator" recently, we both thought it was awesome.  H.H. was one fucked up dude.  The movie is very interesting visually:  they altered the color scheme to reflect the state of color-film technology for each time period, so at one point in the story the golf course grass and the peas on his plate are turquoise rather than green.

Raenia

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #224 on: August 16, 2018, 10:28:30 AM »
Last weekend we saw Incredibles 2, it was fun.  A little predictable, but that doesn't bother me too much.  Also watched Singing in the Rain for the first time, that was fantastic.  Can't believe it took me this long to see it.

We've been slowly watching through all the Studio Ghibli films, as well.  We've gone roughly in release order (skipped Arrietty for now since we can't find a copy), just watched From Up on Poppy Hill and The Wind Rises.  The Tale of Princess Kaguya is up next, just got a copy from the library.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #225 on: August 18, 2018, 01:24:12 PM »
Two movies that turned out to be better than I expected:

Watched Cars 3 because I am a bit of a Pixar completist and noticed it was on Netflix. It was low-key, but surprisingly decent--it gets into representation, which I was not expecting at all, and also the rewards of teaching.

Also watched Pacific Rim Uprising because NPR had a fairly good-natured review. I liked it better than the first one--John Boyega is a much more charismatic hero than the previous movie had, and it was fun to hear him with his British accent since he uses an American one in the Star Wars movies.

CindyBS

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #226 on: August 19, 2018, 10:40:11 AM »
I really enjoyed the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society".  It recently has been made into a Netflix movie, and I enjoyed that as well.  I generally do not like movies if I've read the book first.

The story takes place just after WWII on Guernsey, one of the British Channel Islands that was occupied by the Germans.  A group of the Islanders under occupation formed a book club to hide illegal activities and the story is about what happened to the book club members. 

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #227 on: August 19, 2018, 05:59:03 PM »
I really enjoyed the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society".  It recently has been made into a Netflix movie, and I enjoyed that as well.  I generally do not like movies if I've read the book first.

The story takes place just after WWII on Guernsey, one of the British Channel Islands that was occupied by the Germans.  A group of the Islanders under occupation formed a book club to hide illegal activities and the story is about what happened to the book club members.
Read the book & enjoyed, will have to queue that on Netflix.

sui generis

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #228 on: August 20, 2018, 01:44:24 PM »
Saw Cartel Land this weekend. 

Wow.  That was depressing.

By the River

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #229 on: August 20, 2018, 02:45:20 PM »
Watched "All the Queen's Horses" on Netflix this weekend.  A documentary about a city finance clerk who stole over $53M from a town of 16,000 people in Illinois.  Amazing that she could siphon off over $5 million in a year without anyone noticing. 

accolay

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #230 on: August 21, 2018, 08:23:55 AM »
Saw "Crazy Rich Asians" last night. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Brought back some nice memories of Singapore.

Was investigating the movie as I'm wont to and read some articles about the all Asian cast- one article said that since it's an all Asian cast that white people should watch it. Isn't that kinda weird? I get that there isn't inclusion in Hollywood (I watch a lot of movies) I think movie makers should include all people in their film (Asians are 60% of the world population after all) But I can't change what Hollywood does and the make up of the cast doesn't matter to me- the story and acting does. I understand the significance of there not being inclusion and it being an all Asian cast. But if they were attempting to "normalize" inclusion for people who don't get it, couldn't they just say that it's a great flick, or do they need to build hype for the stupids who are themselves going to stereotype the film anyway? Maybe the article wasn't meant for me? Just saying I've never gone to a movie thinking "great! white people actors! My kind of movie!"

Must be the same world of douche bags that have given Kelly Tran a hard time in the new Star Wars flicks... what the fuck do these people have a problem with?

Also read some stuff on Awkwafina's role and some were not happy with it. It's a weird world.

Any thoughts from those who have seen the film?

GuitarStv

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #231 on: August 21, 2018, 08:44:27 AM »
Movies are pretty weird.  Take 90%+ of the cast of the majority of Hollywood movies, and they're going to be white people.  90% of the people in North America are not white, so that's pretty weird, no?  Growing up as a kid, there were like 6 black actors in Hollywood . . . Will Smith, Wesley Snipes, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Denzil Washinton, and occasionally Vingh Rhames.  That's messed up.

I agree . . . you shouldn't go see a movie because it's entirely one particular race in it, but until we get to the point where a movie about x race of people being entirely cast with x race of people isn't news it's heartening to see a little more diversity out there.

accolay

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #232 on: August 21, 2018, 08:51:10 AM »
I agree . . . you shouldn't go see a movie because it's entirely one particular race in it, but until we get to the point where a movie about x race of people being entirely cast with x race of people isn't news it's heartening to see a little more diversity out there.

Absolutely heartening. It's just weird. Interesting that though it's way inclusive for the US, it's still not inclusive in Singapore.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/21/where-are-the-brown-people-crazy-rich-asians-draws-tepid-response-in-singapore

Director John M Chu responding to questions about the movies expectations:
Quote
“This is a very specific movie, we have a very specific world, very specific characters. This is not going to solve everything.”
« Last Edit: August 21, 2018, 08:54:15 AM by accolay »

Davnasty

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #233 on: August 21, 2018, 09:43:04 AM »
Movies are pretty weird.  Take 90%+ of the cast of the majority of Hollywood movies, and they're going to be white people.  90% of the people in North America are not white, so that's pretty weird, no?  Growing up as a kid, there were like 6 black actors in Hollywood . . . Will Smith, Wesley Snipes, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Denzil Washinton, and occasionally Vingh Rhames.  That's messed up.

I agree . . . you shouldn't go see a movie because it's entirely one particular race in it, but until we get to the point where a movie about x race of people being entirely cast with x race of people isn't news it's heartening to see a little more diversity out there.

I don't think it's weird, although whites make up less than 90% of the population they do make up the largest portion of potential customers and therefore it makes sense for movie makers to see them as the primary target. This may be further skewed by which groups have more money to spend on movies and which people like to go to movies. I don't have the data, but I wouldn't be surprised if both of these groups tend to be more white than the general population.

Now if you think the strategy of using white actors to appeal to white people is misguided, that's a separate debate, but I'm not going to criticize a business or "Hollywood" for lacking diversity when they're just chasing profits like everyone else. In the end, I don't think it's a good thing that white people are overrepresented in movies but I don't see it as intentionally leaving people out. It's just a business decision being made by lots of individuals which when taken cumulatively looks more lopsided than each individual decision really is.

I know this analogy doesn't capture the situation entirely, but I'm gonna try it anyway. Take two dogs, one is 60lbs, the other is 40lbs. If you threw them a 6oz steak and a 4oz steak every day, the big one is stronger and will take the 6oz steak while the smaller one will take the 4oz steak. This is fair, they both get the same amount of steak relative to their body weight. But if you give them a 10oz steak every day, the big one will take it all for him self and he will do so every day, not just 60% of the time. Some products can be broken down into two steaks and targeted to potential buyers proportionally while other products like movies cannot. It only goes one way or the other. Of course it's more complicated than that, some of the best movies have "something for everyone" as they say, but in general terms I think this is why race skews heavily white in Hollywood.

OurTown

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #234 on: August 21, 2018, 09:55:41 AM »
The Adventure of Buckaroo Bonzai:  Across the 8th Dimension.  Christopher Lloyd as "John Bigboote."  John Lithgow as "John Wharfin."  Ellen Barkin as "Penny Priddy."  Jeff Goldblum as "New Jersey."  Peter Weller in the titular role. 

I loved this movie in college.  It's still goofy and fun. 

GuitarStv

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #235 on: August 21, 2018, 10:01:10 AM »
If your theory is true, white people are prejudiced (because they don't want to see movies that don't star white people and thus directors are forced to cast white to make money) . . . but if it's false then Hollywood is prejudiced (because they predominantly make movies starring white people for no reason).  There's no winning scenario there.  :P

Davnasty

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #236 on: August 21, 2018, 10:19:40 AM »
If your theory is true, white people are prejudiced (because they don't want to see movies that don't star white people and thus directors are forced to cast white to make money) . . . but if it's false then Hollywood is prejudiced (because they predominantly make movies starring white people for no reason).  There's no winning scenario there.  :P

I assume they both are :)

I just don't see it as a particularly evil or surprising type of prejudice. More like, I identify more easily with people who look like me and I watch movies to feel good about myself and be entertained. It's easier to feel good about myself and be entertained when I identify with the characters. Most movie watching experiences aren't had to "challenge" the viewer, they're just for fun. My take on it is that the problem stems from lots of tiny innocent decisions that culminate in unfairness for some people. Which actually applies to many aspects of racism and prejudice.

accolay

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #237 on: August 21, 2018, 10:37:59 AM »
My take on it is that the problem stems from lots of tiny innocent decisions that culminate in unfairness for some people. Which actually applies to many aspects of racism and prejudice.

Ahh..... I don't think it's been a lot of tiny innocent decision in Hollywood, unfortunately. They're definitely there for the money (and have ended up with a lot of crappy movies due to it) but I think the lack of invclusiveness has always been fairly deliberate. One could argue that it's always been a business decision otherwise, but I think that's a poor way to frame the argument.

Just for fun:
http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/inequality-in-1100-popular-films.pdf
« Last Edit: August 21, 2018, 10:41:54 AM by accolay »

accolay

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #238 on: August 21, 2018, 10:50:32 AM »
Slightly off topic

Wondering if some here are more willing to see a hyped movie if reviewers pan it? I've seen a few really entertaining flicks before that were thoroughly panned. Seems like the review writers are always looking for a deep meaning to film while sometimes I am looking to be entertained and so I can forget about the world for a few hours. Sometimes reviewers are spot on and a movie is horrible (i.e. I'm not going to see D. d'sousas' current steaming pile, despite what an audience rates it at) but I like to decide for myself.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2018, 10:56:33 AM by accolay »

lizzzi

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #239 on: August 21, 2018, 11:36:27 AM »
Thinking about Aretha Franklin this week, so watched The Blues Brothers last night. What a hoot! (Didn't read all the posts upthread about white people watching white people in movies--or whatever the discussion is about--but The Blues Brothers was certainly a movie with both blacks and whites. And Nazis. And Catholics. Wahoo! Just great fun and so entertaining.

Davnasty

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #240 on: August 21, 2018, 12:03:48 PM »
My take on it is that the problem stems from lots of tiny innocent decisions that culminate in unfairness for some people. Which actually applies to many aspects of racism and prejudice.

Ahh..... I don't think it's been a lot of tiny innocent decision in Hollywood, unfortunately. They're definitely there for the money (and have ended up with a lot of crappy movies due to it) but I think the lack of invclusiveness has always been fairly deliberate. One could argue that it's always been a business decision otherwise, but I think that's a poor way to frame the argument.

Just for fun:
http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/inequality-in-1100-popular-films.pdf

I was thinking tiny decisions in terms of the viewer, as in which movies they decide to watch and why. If I don't actively think about it I would probably choose a film with a lead character more similar to myself, all else being equal. This was more true when I was younger and didn't consider the implications. Although there was a time when I related more to a cartoon dinosaur than any humans.

I'll stop there as I just realized this is not on topic and I don't want to be "that guy" :)

GuitarStv

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #241 on: August 21, 2018, 01:30:45 PM »
Although there was a time when I related more to a cartoon dinosaur than any humans.

Many of us never got past this stage.  :P

tralfamadorian

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #242 on: August 21, 2018, 02:12:11 PM »
Saw Night Will Fall last night. It gave me nightmares and should be required viewing.

lizzzi

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #243 on: August 22, 2018, 07:12:38 AM »
Thinking about Aretha Franklin this week, so watched The Blues Brothers last night. What a hoot! (Didn't read all the posts upthread about white people watching white people in movies--or whatever the discussion is about--but The Blues Brothers was certainly a movie with both blacks and whites. And Nazis. And Catholics. Wahoo! Just great fun and so entertaining.

So last night (still thinking of Aretha Franklin) I watched The Blues Brothers 2000. Very funny--just as good as the first movie, in a slightly different way. I loved John Belushi in the first one, but thought that John Goodman did a great job as Dan Ackroyd's partner in the second one--as did the child. Very funny. Aretha sang "Think" in the first one, and "Respect" in the second one. And seeing all the blues greats in their roles and hearing their fabulous music made for a nice couple of hours.These movies are $3.99 on Amazon Prime. (I know, I know. But well worth it.)

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #244 on: August 22, 2018, 08:52:03 AM »
Slightly off topic

Wondering if some here are more willing to see a hyped movie if reviewers pan it? I've seen a few really entertaining flicks before that were thoroughly panned. Seems like the review writers are always looking for a deep meaning to film while sometimes I am looking to be entertained and so I can forget about the world for a few hours. Sometimes reviewers are spot on and a movie is horrible (i.e. I'm not going to see D. d'sousas' current steaming pile, despite what an audience rates it at) but I like to decide for myself.

I will usually save the movies where critical opinion is divided for a library DVD or cheap streaming rental. I've had some great surprises that way, and also cases where I was like, yep, the reviewer was right on. I think the key to reviews is to find a reviewer who likes similar types of movies, or is really good at separating their own taste from the taste of the audience. I like the NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour podcasts. They get a panel of four people, and usually there will be someone who really likes that kind of movie, a couple who are on the fence, and one for whom it really isn't their thing. Then you really get a good sense of the movie and whether it will be for you.

Warlord1986

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #245 on: August 28, 2018, 09:24:05 AM »
Gladiator.

The cinematography was better than I remembered. And the character of the tyrannical emperor was timely.

Noodle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #246 on: August 31, 2018, 05:29:36 PM »
I started poking around Amazon Prime last night and found a couple of fun ones.

"Sneakers" was on a list of Robert Redford's best movies that came out when he announced his retirement from acting. It was a lot of fun to watch, especially since it included several excellent actors who have either died or that I haven't seen for awhile, including River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd and James Earl Jones. Poor Mary McDonnell got saddled with a really unfortunate early 90s haircut, though.

I also watched "The Prince and Me" which is very slight but was fun in light of the recent royal wedding--and features a very young but already excellent Julia Stiles.

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #247 on: August 31, 2018, 06:33:51 PM »
Sneakers is silly but holds together surprisingly well, probably because of the cast. I think Spy Game (also with Redford) is a less-campy variation on that theme (and Spy Game includes Brad Pitt <3).

Just watched Downsizing which had some good ideas but seemed a little muddled (I wasn't sure to what extent it should be embraced as an allegory to explain the odd plot development). The depiction of the Vietnamese refugee by Hong Chau, of course, was criticized for exuding too many stereotypes. I was not bothered by that based on my corollary knowledge that all stereotypes about Russians are actually true!

accolay

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #248 on: September 16, 2018, 06:33:42 AM »
I watched Hereditary last night. Really disturbing and creepy. I really hope I'm able to sleep again.

chaskavitch

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Re: What movies have you been watching?
« Reply #249 on: September 16, 2018, 06:41:26 AM »
I just watched Your Name last night.  It's a animated Japanese film about two teenagers of opposite genders who occasionally wake up in each other's bodies for a day.  It sounds super campy and like it should be full of ridiculous fan service, but it wasn't at all - it was REALLY GOOD.  The animation was amazingly detailed and beautiful, the story was gripping (to me, at least), and DH and I were seriously groping each other on the arm at the end while we stared at the TV, saying things like "It'll be ok, it's not over yet! Just wait!"