Saturday, May 30, 2015

Free for All!

Who wants to talk about Junesploitation? Or anything else you want?

I'll be honest. My mind is already in June, so I'm not going to be able to come up with any kind of question for the Weekend Weigh-in that isn't about Junesploitation. Instead, I'll let you guys guide the conversation. Maybe you want to talk about what you're planning to watch for Junesploitation. Maybe you saw Aloha and want -- no, NEED -- to talk about it. Or maybe you finally got around to seeing Training Day and you want to talk about how Ethan Hawke got an Oscar nomination for that movie. You guys have the conch!

101 comments:

  1. I would like to give a shout out to Black Mirror, a British series I must of missed while it was doing the rounds, I am only two episodes in, each episode is a totally different story and I have to say it is the best Tv I have seen for ages, I am blown away with it, the first two episodes are pretty much perfect, I'm gonna give no spoilers, its kinda dark comedy and horror, its hard to break it down, I highly recommend it so far

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    1. Love Black Mirror, Dennis! Don't forget after Season two they did the X-mas Special.

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    2. Cool

      I cant believe how good the first two episodes are, the pig and then the bikes, my mind was literally blown. I hope it keeps up its amazing start, its my favourite new thing I cant believe that not everyone is talking about it

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    3. I can't decide which one is my favorite, the 2nd, 3rd or 4th episode. They are all masterpieces of television. I love it so much.

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    4. Ooh. Im watching 3 and 4 this week :)
      I don't give out recommendations much but Please trust me, This is amazing, please watch,

      Have you seen it Patrick ?

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  2. i'm gonna post my junesploitation list here! can't wait any longer! too excited about this!

    (as mentioned previously, it's very hong kong-centric)

    1. bio zombie (zombies)
    2. future cops (sci-fi)
    3. violent cop (cops)
    4. the killer snakes (animals)
    5. project a part 2 ('80s action)
    6. legacy of rage (tech. shout factory, but i couldn't find any hk scream factory releases)
    7. tiger cage (drugs)
    8. dream home (slashers)
    9. vengeance (revenge)
    10. eyes of the spider (free space)
    11. five element ninjas (ninjas)
    12. tromeo & juliet (troma)
    13. riki-oh: the story of ricky (subbing hk's category 3 system for video nasties)
    14. drunken master part 2: dance of the drunk mantis (bugs (a bit of a stretch probably))
    15. the great silence (spaghetti)
    16. doppelganger (new horror)
    17. the lady hermit (icons)
    18. the heroic ones (kung fu)
    19. kickboxer (cannon)
    20. dirty ho (free space)
    21. opera (italian horror)
    22. tetsuo: the bullet man (robots)
    23. black caesar (blaxploitation)
    24. terrifying girls' high school: lynch law classroom (teenagers)
    25. legend of the swordsman ('90s action)
    26. we're going to eat you (cannibals)
    27. girl boss guerilla (cars (i hope motorcycles are okay))
    28. lone wolf and cub: sword of vengeance (free space)
    29. stray cat rock: delinquent girl boss (rock n roll)
    30. the thing ('80s horror)

    i made a list on letterboxd if anyone is curious. and if anyone else on this site is also on that site you should give me your name so we can follow each other.

    http://letterboxd.com/ghostdinosaur/list/junesploitation-2015/detail/

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    1. This is really great. I have seen less than half of these. Are they all movies you've seen already or are any of them new to you? I'm curious which ones you'd really recommend.

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    2. i haven't seen most of these actually! i've seen all the ones that are obviously not hong kong (kickboxer, tromeo, black caesar, etc.) but in those cases i tried to pick movies it had been so long since i'd seen that i barely remember them or am not sure if i still actually like them (the thing is the exception, in that i've seen it, love it, almost certain i still love it, but it's just a fun way to cap the month).

      of the hong kong stuff the only one i've seen is the legend of the swordsman (aka swordsman 2), which i would definitely recommend. it has a part near the beginning where someone slaps the ground with their sword and it creates a burst of energy that slices jet li's horse in half. it's the crazed nightmarish cousin to crouching tiger and hero's more austere depictions of magic sword fighting.

      and i've also seen riki-oh, but i suspect a lot of people here have seen that one. if not they should! it's really violent!

      i also really like doppelganger, but kiyoshi kurosawa is someone who is difficult to recommend. i love him as a director, but he can be a bit impenetrable.

      curious which ones you have seen. i'm sure in a few instances i can guess, but wondering if you saw lynch law classroom or girl boss guerilla (i watched all the movies in that four disc pinky violence set when it first came out, but haven't seen them since).

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    3. 11. five element ninjas (ninjas)
      Watched this last year. I really liked it!

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    4. I think I've seen the ones you would expect I've seen, plus a few others (Riki-Oh, Vengeance, Project A 2). Most are new to me, so I can't wait to hear what you think. Always looking for new recommendations! I like that you're going with a "theme."

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    5. Love your list. I've only seen maybe 6 or 7 of them, but I LOVE Dream Home. I think it's one of the best and most effective flashers out there.

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  3. Really excited for junesploitation! Unfortunately June is a busy month and I have quite a few days that I will miss. Nevertheless I am ready to get going. I really appreciated the Netflix this movie list with all of those great picks for June, as well as all of the great recommendations in the comments.

    Moving on to other things... I finally saw Furious Seven in theaters this week. I listened to the podcast with Patrick and Doug after and agreed with a lot of what you said. I do think that I enjoyed it a lot more than the two of you did. I must have missed something with Fast Five because I did not like that one. Maybe I should re watch it sometime soon. I think I like how the series is almost self aware at this point. The action scenes were badass and I was entertained throughout. I also really connected with the last scene. I was not distracted by the cgi at all. I also don't think I have cried in a theater like that since Toy Story 3. Maybe some of my opinions will change with multiple viewings. I know I'm late to the party for this movie but I just wanted to give my two cents.

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  4. I have been feeling pretty down lately, but I'm trying to get something positive out of a negative here by hopefully starting a conversation with you fine folk. So, when I'm going through a rough patch, I watch literally all of the action/adventure movies. A few horror movies splashed in here and there, but for the most part it's all action/adventure (I haven't touched a serious drama in weeks). So I was wondering, what types of movies do you folks watch when you're feeling down? What movies bring you guys joy when you're bummed out? Is it a specific movie or a genre of movies?

    (And I don't want to turn this into a pity post or something, so before anyone asks, if anyone was going to, yeah I'm fine, just been a little down lately. Waiting for Junesploitation to turn things around for me)

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    1. Tim you need 30 days of Junesploitation stat! Can't wait to read your (and everyone else's) reviews!

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    2. Totally true. I could not be more excited about it.

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    3. The Rocky movies buddy - knocked me right out of a funk last year at this time.

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    4. I have no doubt that Junesploitation will help, because these movies are all about FUN (when they're not hateful and ugly...don't watch The New York Ripper). I would say that I, like you, turn to action and horror...but that's pretty much my go-to for any mood.

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    5. I'm also fond of action and horror when I'm feeling down. I also tend to turn toward movies I'm very familiar with...Fletch, Ghostbusters, Real Genius, stuff I've watched so many times I could recite them from memory. Those tend to cheer me up. If all else fails, then I'm all for watching Iko Uwais fuck up 17,000 stuntmen in a row.

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    6. I lean on a heavy dose of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Fargo, old Woody Allen comedies and most anything with Bill Murray.

      I also listen to a soul/jazz instrumental called "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited from the 60s, which I will relate back to movies by pointing out that it was featured in the Lindsay Lohan version of The Parent Trap.

      For the record, I am suggesting that you listen to this song VERY independently of The Parent Trap (unless that's your thing).

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    7. Adventureland, for whatever reason, always seems to cheer me up after I watch it. It resonates with me so much more than any other movie I can think of.

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    8. Love it! And more recently, The Way Way Back is a go to of mine for some reason. Maybe cause it's awesome?!

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    9. Somehow that movie fell out of my grasp and I really wanted to see it. I'll have to check it out.

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    10. I went through something kind of emotionally difficult earlier this year and I watched Love Actually twice in a row back to back. I'm not super proud of that, but I felt better. haha

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    11. Daniel, Love Actually use to be one of my go to Christmas films. After watching it again this past December for the 10th something time, I was cringing at some of the lines and beats in the film. I still like it, but I use to love it.

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    12. The Room got me through a cancer scare and Silver Linings Playbook is my go to movie when I'm depressed (Spider-Man 2 is actually a runner up for my favorite depression movies....ITS ABOUT DEPRESSION, YO)

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    14. Jaws is usually my go-to when I'm feeling bummed. There's something comforting about a movie where you can mouth the dialogue, like singing along with a song. Then Wet Hot, The Jerk, and Black Dynamite.

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    15. Thanks for having this discussion with me guys. I'm really grateful for having a place where I can talk movies with like minded folks :). Also, I saw BLACK DYNAMITE randomly on cable like a year and a half ago, and might have laughed harder at that movie than anything I've seen before. (Mind you, I struggle with comedies, I enjoy them but I don't usually laugh audibly unless I'm with a few friends, but BLACK DYNAMITE had me cracking up alone in the family room) That movie is literally one of my favorite comedies, and I have plans to watch that and an actual Blaxpoitation movie for Junesploitation. Speaking of, anyone got a recommendation for Blaxsploitation they would like to toss my way?

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    16. There are a bunch I like, but none more than Coffy. The original Blacula is really good. The first Shaft. Others I really like include Drum, Boss N***er, Sugar Hill, Foxy Brown. If you can find a copy, Black Shampoo is impossibly entertaining.

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    17. Boss is great. I dig Black Belt Jones a ton ,too.

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    18. Does Superfly count as blaxploitation? I really like Superfly.

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  5. Been busy with school (my last day is today!) so I've been watching a lot of Cowboy Bebop, which is a series and is easier to find time for. Of course, it's a great show, one of the best, and I always enjoy watching it. I finally upgraded my DVD set to the blu-ray and damn, it looks really great.

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  6. Politicians...am I right guys? Guys?

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  7. I've been on a run lately where I show my wife movies that I'm surprised she hasn't seen, then realizing that I don't like the movies nearly as much (Fight Club and Training Day are two recent examples) as I thought I did. I'm not sure if they're just movies that kind of sit better with younger sensibilities, or if I've just changed. Anyone else have similar experiences?

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    1. That happens to me a lot. I know Doug has talked about a similar experience, too. I think it has to do with watching it with someone who hasn't seen it; you start seeing things through their eyes and some of the flaws become more apparent.

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    2. I've tried to like Fight Club a few times and I just can't do it. I can't even appreciate it for what it is. Anyway, I showed my brother Face/Off... and I still enjoyed but really realized how freaking insane it is more that ever. I also showed someone Groundhog Day a little while back and I think I loved it more than ever.

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    3. Seeing it through someone else's eyes makes totao sense. It's funny with Fight Club, I hear a lot that people take the 'wrong message' from it, but really, all the messages in the movie (and book especially) are a bit crass and dumb. I completely agree with the exponential appreciation of Groundhog Day!

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    4. I still love Fight Club. It's one of my favorite movies that I can put on and watch anytime. There's just something about it that I can't get enough of and it's endlessly watchable for me.

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  8. Where is a good place to start with horror? For years I've maintained that I don't like/won't watch horror movies, but I've slowly started to ease up on that policy, in so small part because of F This Movie!. The "horror" that I've seen off the top of my head are (and maybe not all of these are horror): Alien, The Shining, Psycho, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (56 and 78). Even though I really like most of those movies, I didn't find any of them scary, which leads me to believe that either I'm now ready to start watching horror, or I always was and just never gave it a legitimate chance. So basically I'm wondering what is the best way to ease myself into the genre?

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    1. That's tough. Things aren't necessarily "scary" anymore. I mean, it definitely depends on your definition of what scares you. For example, "Fire Walk With Me" is probably the scariest film I've ever seen. "The Shining" use to be when I was kid but not so much any more. I am always looking for that next horror film that will actually scare me but I doubt it will happen. I was definitely affected by some of them, like "Martyrs" or more recently, "The Conjuring" but the latter was mainly because it had been so long since a horror film was done tastefully. I don't know if I can answer how to ease yourself in. I would say don't watch "A Serbian Film" fist, haha :) You really have to find the sub-genre of horror that gets to you. For me, it's atmosphere and paranormal stuff. "Session 9" is a great example of both off the top of my head. I can literally count on one hand the number of films that have "scared" me and, honestly, their not really technically full on "horror".

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    2. Night of the Living Dead (1968) is a decent "gateway" horror movie.

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    3. Horror movies never scare me, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying them as films. I can appreciate the ways they'd scare other people.

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    4. Adam - I would start with the bona fide classics (some of which you mention) and see what you like and expand from there. For example, if you like Alien then more sci-fi horror, The Shining then more haunted house etc.

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    5. If you like those movies, then I'd say you do like horror! I rarely get scared either, but I love the genre. If you like old classic films, then Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein are brilliantly well made. If you like 80's teen movies, Fright Night is a fun 80's teen movie with Vampires. It's crazy awesome. If you want something newer and thought provoking, then checkout The Babadook. And that one is actually scary.

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    6. I can tell you where not to start, and I would honestly say that a lot if the indie horror from the last couple of years shouldn't be your starting point. Too much of it has a throwback nature to it to really appreciate it without first having seen what it's a throwback to. I say this because I am fairly new to the horror genre as well, and the ones that were quickly available to me where the newest horror movies showing up on netflix and stuff, and it wasn't as enjoyable the first time watching it without having seen some of the stuff from the 80s that it's style was sort of based on. Not all of the indie movies recently fall under that category, a lot of them transcend that trend (THE BABADOOK comes to mind) but many of them do and would be better served by having seen the more classic stuff first.

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    7. Yea I'd say the best advice is to just jump in and watch all the horror you've always heard good things about. You'll find out pretty quick what you're into. The great thing about horror is there's so much of it and you'll figure out what sub genres you wanna gravitate towards.

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    8. Watch Carpenter's The Thing.

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  9. I love Blue Valentine, and I recently re-watched it. And while I think the Oscars are usually bullshit, I think it is a GRAVE injustice that Michelle Williams got a best supporting actress nomination for that film and Ryan Gosling got snubbed entirely. He is amazing in it and gives a better performance in my opinion. Also, I'd really like to see you guys do a podcast on DRIVE one day.

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  10. I saw Ahola and I was absolutely blown away by what a horrific train wreck it is. Almost nothing in it works and it's a career low for almost everyone involved. I was fascinated by it. The script makes very little sense, the dialogue is horrible, no one acts anything like a real person and the Rachel McAdams plot point drove me insane. Anyone else seen it?

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    1. I had plans to review it. I don't think I'm going to. I'll still see it, but unless I really like it more than most of the reviews, I don't want to pile on. I had a bad feeling based on the trailers...and Cameron Crowe's last few movies.

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    2. I saw it and agree with just about everything you say Daniel. I don't think it's the fault of the actors but more the awful screenplay and borderline incompetent direction. It's one of the worst major studio movies I've seen in a few years.

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    3. I don't blame the actors either. I can't imagine Emma Stone would have come up that performance without being directed to it. And some of them jump emotions so quickly that it makes me think some things in between were cut in the editing room.
      I get that Patrick. But man oh man I would be fascinated by a podcast on it. There's so much insanity to talk about. haha But then this is movie love for movie lovers!

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    4. It was a movie that felt like whole scenes were missing. So much of the character motivations came out of absolutely nowhere.

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    5. Is it true that Emma Stone plays an Asian American in that movie?

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    6. She describes herself as being 1/2 Hawaiian and Chinese and 1/2 Swedish

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  11. Does anybody have actors that they can't stand watching and ruin movies for you? Here are the 3 that really bother me:
    1. Tobey Maguire
    2. Jon Voight
    3. Russell Crowe

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    1. I'm sure there are others, but Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeremy Renner spring to mind for me. I'm sure they are fine people, but their acting makes me squirm in my seat.

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    2. I could say Jai Courtney and Topher grace but that would be too easy.
      I'm actually not a fan of Jesse Eisenberg. Just something about him doesn't click with me. Michael Cera can also get on my nerves when I feel like he is miss casted. I used to feel that way about Zac Efron, but I have become a fan in the last year.

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    3. I can't handle Meryl Streep. I saw her latest movie trailer and I almost died. And all her undeserved Oscar noms (Into the Woods) just makes it worse.

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    4. i never specifically avoid a movie just bc an actor is in it, but there are certain styles of acting that i have trouble responding to. the most specific is serious theater method style acting.

      prime examples for me include: philip seymour hoffman (sorry), paul giamatti, dustin hoffman, julianne moore, the aforementioned streep, christian bale, others.

      i also tend to dislike actors who transparently Love doing accents. leo and cate blanchett are the biggest offenders i can think of but i am sure there are others. tom hardy is leaning dangerously that way but so far i have liked him in everything I've seen except mad max (he's okay but I thought his interpretation of the character was so far from gibsons that it feels self-conscious to me and like i cant believe they are the same person).

      basically almost anyone who shows up in interviews and talks about how much they want to disappear into the character is someone i am probably not gonna care for.

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  12. How are Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal related? She's the worst and he's the best.

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  13. One of my favorite aspects of both Mad Max: Fury Road and Edge of Tomorrow is the multi-dimensional female co-lead who is smart, capable, and agent. Please, Hollywood, let this be a trend.

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    1. My very favorite moment in Fury Road (which is a movie made up almost entirely of favorite moments) is a very brief bit where Furiosa and Max switch positions and she rests the rifle on his shoulder. There's no line, no comment on the moment, just an acknowledgment of respect that is subtly beautiful. I'm very much with you on hoping this becomes a trend, but knowing Hollywood the only lesson that'll be learned is "more dusty landscapes, shirtless vampiric kids, and blowed-up cars."

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    2. I agree with something Patrick said about this topic in that FURY ROAD is unreplicatable. Hollywood simply can't make another like this, because this is George Miller's complete vision. There a so few filmmakers who could do something like this, and so few studios would let them. I think JP is probably right, this just spawns a bunch of post apocalyptic garbage because Hollywood doesn't realize that character, visual storytelling and a unique vision is what made FURY ROAD so great.

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  14. So I'm reading this review on "San Andreas" and the critic in reference to Gugino and Daddario writes something like "but oh no, these woman do not need the help of The Rock as they are self sufficient and strong in their own right" - and that got me thinking, who cares?! It's a freakin' disaster movie starring THE F-ING ROCK! It's starting to feel like critics have to stay with the current trend of pointing out feminism and suck it out of everything they watch even if it's irrelevant and not even accurate. What if Gugino and Daddario HAD to rely on THE ROCK? Is that bad? Not at all. You think Kate Capshaw would have survived the fuckin' Temple of Doom without Indy? Nope.

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    1. Yeah I'm with you on that one, normal people rely on rescue crews all the time. That's why rescue crews exist. So it seems strange that someone would be upset either way by that. I guess you can say oh well why did it have to be The Rock as the star? Why not a woman? And to that I say The Rock is a 40 something year old Somoan guy, and is the biggest action start of this generation. At least say to yourself that it wasn't a white guy. And also, I'm assuming from the trailers that The Rock and Gugino are married, and are therefore a biracial couple, which in my opinion is also a actively a win. I don't think you should be arguing gender and/or racial politics in every film, sometimes the film just doesn't give much of a platform for it, but when you do want to, at least pick out the ones that make sense in reference to what is actually within the movie.

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    2. while i think your point might have some merit using capshaw as the example is a little ill-advised since she is easily one of the most hateful depictions of femininity to ever appear in an action film. that george lucas was going through a divorce when he wrote the movie is embarrassingly transparent in how useless and screeching her character is. she exists to show that women are spoiled, ungrateful brats who need a man to tame them.

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    3. That and the fact that TEMPLE OF DOOM is openly racist. It's not even veiled, it's just clearly racist. Savages have to be saved by the white man. Good call Lucas. But the argument of the modern critic trying to force a feminism angle into every movie whether it has something to say about it or not is something to talk about. Of course, TEMPLE OF DOOM has some nasty stuff to say about females too. TEMPLE OF DOOM really hates everyone who isn't Indana Jones, which is a bummer. I wonder how much of that is the times it was made in and how much of that is just Lucas pouring his anger out onto the screen.

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    4. This is what I'm talking about. Temple of Doom is fucking Temple of Doom. There is no hidden agenda against women. She's written how she's written. She's supposed to be who she is. I only used TOD as it's the first (funny, IMO) thing that came to mind. The racist part? Shit, that every movie since film began. I guarantee you can make that case for 99% of them. But that's not what I'm talking about here. Forget TOD, there are strong female characters and weak female characters throughout the history of film. These days, it's like if a female character isn't written to be super strong and in control it's a travesty and critics will hone in on any feminist aspect they can, cause it's the trend right now. Go back and watch "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" written by one of the most, if not THE most respected critics of all time. No one was talking about this shit back then. Why? Cause half of it is manufactured. Trust me, I think Hollywood is sexist, racist, bigoted and full of fake people who hide behind the camera, literally. But recently it's like everything has to be so PC in EVERY SINGLE WAY, hence me calling out that critic for going into the "feminist" aspect of fuckin' "San Andeas" - let it go, cause you're not getting more "likes" from me with some silly, trend following writing like that.

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    5. Ok, so what you're saying is we should take a work as it is? (Just trying to make sure I understand) And yeah, a lot of times it's better to just take a work as it is. But at the same time, if we did that with every work if art, and didn't try to deconstruct some of the stuff it's portraying, then we are kind of devaluing that work of art. Art has something to say. Film has something to say. Even when it's supposed to be just a fun thrill ride, it still says things. Like TOD says that the native people were helpless. I believe it's India, it's been a while I might be wrong. So if an Indian person watched TOD and said, wow I feel really offended by that, is that person wrong? And if a woman watched it and was like wow, the only woman character here is a really poor portrayal of a woman, I don't like that, are they wrong for looking at it that way too? And I think TOD is particularly egregious because the RAIDERS has one of the greatest female characters ever out on screen. So I actually totally agree with your original point, that trying to shove viewpoints into movies where the text really has nothing like that there is obnoxious and bad criticism. And art can't be everything to everyone. If you talk to enough people eventually you will find someone who is offended by something, as mundane as it might be. But by saying that TOD is just supposed to be this fun thing that you don't think about is completely devaluing it as a piece of art. And maybe the argument is that it isn't art, at which point I guess the question would be what is it? (By the way, I don't think all films necessarily HAVE to be "art," and like I said above, not all films actually have a viewpoint. I just happen to think that TOD pretty clearly DOES have a viewpoint on certain things, and it isn't a pretty one)

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    6. My Mom took me to TOD as a kid and loved it! Why? Because she likes Adventure adventure movies with Indiana Jones. It's that simple. Movies are fake. There is nothing real about movies. If an Indian is offended by TOD there is something going on internally with that person that is the root of the issue. It's Temple of Doom - the movie is called "TEMPLE OF DOOM" it's an action movie. Now, if an Indian is offended by a movie called "The Temple of Asshole Indians" then, yes, they have a complete right to be offended. I would be offended by that shit. I'm more offended by tripe like "Crash" that handles serious things like racism in a blatant, fucked up way. TOB isn't trying to say anything except "have fun". Are people offended by Vanity in Action Jackson? or Sandra Bullock in Speed (who does nothing)? Again, my Mom loved both films and had nothing to say about that. My Mom was a single parent who raised me and had every reason to hate men. Instead, she had two boys who she loved and realized that her boys loved movies and embraced watching those movies with them. She is the reason I was able to see so many fucked up horror movies as a kid and never once did she mention sexism. My point is that critics are looking into this sexist thing waaaay too much these days. To point out that the female characters in fuckin' San Andreas don't need the main SUPER HERO's help negates the idea of the film - it's the modern day Temple of Doom - it's a mindless Action film.

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    7. Somewhere in there I wrote TOB - meant TOD.

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    8. Don't worry Chaybee I got it :). I'm still with you by the way, and the fact that your mom had no problem with it doesn't bother me in the least. And I'm not even insinuating that your mom should have looked deeper to see something she would have disliked, I'm not at all trying to say that. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I don't think it's right to just offhand dismiss any readings of a movie like TOD with the argument of well it's silly fun, so it doesn't matter what the movie shows us, it can show us anything. It's not trying to be a commentary on anything, so why take it as such? I kind of think that's a little dangerous. And yes, it's unfair to place modern race or gender values on older films because they simply will not stack up, but to walk into any action film and automatically say whatever I see here is all kosher because it's not supposed to be taken seriously is selling both the audience and the creator short. I think a good rule of thumb is to have either all of your characters feel like movie characters, or have all of your characters feel like people who exist in the real world, and this is mostly for action movies, but this rule of thumb can more or less extend to any movie. To stick with the TOD example, Indiana Jones feels fairly like a real human, exaggerated sure but real. The woman is kind of a real person? A really shrill, awful one, but a person. Short Round is just kind of Short Round, there might be a kid like him out there somewhere. The natives feel nothing like real people, unless you want to talk about the tribes of folk who live in jungles and what not, and for some reason I don't feel like they would act like any of the villain tribe people in TOD. So yeah, those guys stick out in that movie. And I don't at all think that watching a movie for pure entertainment value and never giving thought to any of this type of stuff is even bad. We can't always be thinking about everything we consume, it would drive us mad. And if a movie like TOD is nothing but entertainment for you, then more power to you man. I just don't think it's the best idea to simply say this is a silly action movie so any of the objectionable things about the way it's portraying certain groups of people should just be ignored is the right way to think about it.

      ...friends? :)

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    9. By the way, your SAN ANDREAS argument makes complete sense to me. It's a giant disaster movie. Everyone needs saving. That's not an argument, that's just silly. Of course his wife and daughter need saving, the biggest earthquake in the history of the planet is happening. Everyone in California needs freaking saving. It's a completely silly argument that has nothing to do with whether or not these characters we're make or female. If The Rock had a 20 year old son in the movie, he would need saving just like his 20 year old daughter would.

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    10. Kosher as Christmas, Tim ;)

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  15. Hey guys! I've seen Mad Max: Fury Road three times in theaters now. I love this movie and feel it has potential to be my #1 of the year. Patrick and crew, where do you anticipate this movie finishing up on your top 10? I know, hard to say right now but humor me! And do you guys every see movies in the theater more than once?

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    1. It's early still, but I have to imagine that Fury Road will be somewhere in my Top 10. It's really good.

      I used to see EVERYTHING multiple times, sometimes 4 or 5 times, but that's become impossible with kids and no free time. I'm lucky now when I find time to see something once, unfortunately.

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    2. Usually there are 1 to 2 movies a year I see more than once. Here are some recent ones: Fury Road, It Follows, Interstellar, Guardians of the Galaxy.

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  16. Just finished the commentary with the director and stunt coordinator for Revenge of the Ninja. It's really good! Sometimes commentary can be super boring (The Last Dragon commentary is much of the director explaining what is happening in the movie as your watching it) but this was really insightful and both of these guys LOVED making this movie. Makes me love this film even more.

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  17. Hey guys, long time fan first time poster. After listening to the 5th birthday podcast I thought the idea of Junesploitation was one I could get in on, super excited for Teeange Zombies tomorrow, and a whole feast of other intriguing titles I have planned.

    Keep up the good work and have an awesome month everyone!

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    1. Welcome friend. Commenting on stuff and having discussions is one of my favorite things about F This Movie! so it can only go up from here for you.

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  19. A couple months ago I bought one of those Warner Bros. four DVD's on two disc collections. It contains the Blaxplotation movies Black Belt Jones, Black Samson, Hot Potato, and Three the Hard Way. So I have Blaxplotation day covered. The funny thing is that Warner Bros. calls it the "Urban Action Collection". How's that for subtle re-branding?

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  20. Question: Do they still make exploitation movies? It seems like many modern movies that fit the profile use the 'exploitation' angle as the exploitative element. Stuff like Machete and Sharknado and all their imitators sell themselves on their own "so-bad-they're-good"ness. The Asylum always has a new mockbuster on the shelves to cash in on the latest releases, but does anyone fall for them? Who's going to rent San Andreas Quake actually thinking that The Rock is in it? There are always tons of ultra low budget horror and family movies going straight to DVD/Netflix, but is a movie exploitation simply because it's low budget, or simply because it's horror? What do you think? What the modern exploitation landscape built from? Lifetime movies? (They're trying to go legit too, btw.) Anything with Seagal/Van Damme?

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    1. Yes. Some set out to make exploitation films and usually fail (I'm sorry, Sharknado is not one, it tried too hard to be one). To me, exploitation films become exploitation films. Lifetime movies are a great example. They are being really serious when making these and they turn out awful most of the time. A recent example would be something like "Jupiter Ascending". That movie is an absolute mess but, I'm telling you, it's gonna be a cult classic because of that.

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    2. Nice theory! Another genre I think is genuinely exploitation that I didn't mention above is DTV horror sequels; you can get a dedicated fanbase to watch awful, amateurish movies that are completely unrelated to said fanbase's original installment as long as you put the right title on it, and they'll watch every new one even if they know ahead of time that they'll hate it. The Purge did it, 30 Days of Night did it, Return of the Living Dead did it, and on and on and on. Even Saw II was initially an unrelated script that got rebranded.

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    3. Ha ha, are Lifetime movies just going to become even more exploitative because they're trying hard to become more prestigious?

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    4. Totally agree with DTV horror films. Some of those are so god awful that they are fantastically watchable!!! And yes, Lifetime movies are more exploitative 1. because they get great actors that have lost their "hollywood" appeal but IMO are still awesome and 2. they usually are going for high drama subject matter and handle it completely inappropriately. .

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    5. Yes, E.S.A.D.D., they're still making exploitation movies. You might have heard of one called "Mad Max: Fury Road," playing right now in a gazillion theaters. :-P

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    6. Not disagreeing, but if a $150 million budgeted studio genre picture is an exploitation movie, is that simply because it's marketable (or 'exploitable') based on easily identifiable genre elements? Does that make romantic comedies, movies based on kids' TV shows, or Holocaust dramas exploitation? Or does it have to appeal strictly to a more prurient taste demographic? How do you determine what that demo would be? Does budget play any role in whether or not a movie is exploitation? Is Jurassic World any more or less exploitation than Jurassic City? Not being argumentative; just playing devil's advocate for the sake of opening up discussion.

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    7. There is definitely something there. Are exploitation films inherently different than most mainstream genre films? I have a feeling it's kind of like porn, you know it when you see it.

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  21. Have you guys seen Kung Fury yet? It's a Swedish crowdfunded action short film set in the 80's and it's insanely over-the-top, crazy and wonderful. It's available to watch for free on YouTube here. A perfect appetizer for Junesploitation.

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    1. Absolutely. Loved it. Wish they had made their goal for a feature.

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  22. FYI: A special presentation of Jaws will be playing in theaters on June 21 and 24.

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    1. Ivan - I'm skeptical of this because I read that Fathom Films shows DVD's for their presentations. I got fired up when I heard this news, but I'm wondering if they have an actual print.

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    2. According to the press release it is being distributed by Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network, which is a "Cinema Advertising Network" for distributing pre-show content. They also use it to distribute concerts, sporting events, and operas to theaters. I would guess high compression HD encoding comparable to Blu-ray or satellite. I found a spec for a 2k VC-1 Fathom encoding card from a company called Inlet Technologies, but I don't know if it's the same tech used by Fathom Events (could be a coincidence).

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    3. From the playback spec it looks like Fathom Event's distribution company is essentially a private satellite broadcast network sending a signal that is equivalent to digital cable or satellite TV. Their "present day" capability is listed as 1280x720p @ 59.94 fps MPEG2 4:2:0 video with Dolby Pro Logic surround sound that wraps left, right, center, rear surrounds, and subwoofer into two channels (Lt/Rt). This probably works well for live events, but transcoding a 24 fps film to 720p @ 59.94 fps does not seem very cinematic.

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  23. RIP Betsy Palmer :-(

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  24. I adore Tarantino's work like most people here. I just re-listened to the Kill Bill podcast and I have to offer a [loving] dissent about Reservoir Dogs. I recognize that other films of his are just better- Pulp Fiction and Basterds especially- but I do think Dogs is still easily my favorite.

    I love pretty much everything about the film, even the parts that are objectively bad. For instance, I'm sure that a lot of people are annoyed by Tim Roth's overacting, but it doesn't bother me. I recognize that it's unintentional, but his bad acting sort of reinforces the point that Joe Cabot should have been able to tell he was a cop.

    It's probably the film [of all movies, not just QT's] that I've watched the most times, because it is just so f-ing entertaining and much shorter than the rest of his filmography. His scripts became a lot more emotionally dense later on, but whereas watching a Tarantino film is usually something that requires mental preparation and blocking off most of the evening, RD is my go-to when I have an hour and a half and need a captivating fix.

    What are your favorite QT movies?

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    1. Pulp Fiction is my favorite movie of all time so I'd go with that but the last time I watched Jackie Brown I was blown away by how awesome it is. I think if you watch the Kill Bill volumes back to back that's a contender and Basterds is up there as well. Death Proof is easily my least favorite of his. Dogs and Django are in the bottom part too. I adore all of his movies though and each one could easily be in my top 50 movies of all time. It's very hard to pick.

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