Saturday, January 16, 2016

Weekend Open Thread

“... And these children
that you spit on
as they try to change their worlds
are immune to your consultations.
They're quite aware
of what they're going through...”

Lots to talk about this weekend! Oscar nominations, Michael Bay's latest stab at respectability -- or anything else, because neither of those things really qualify as interesting. We lost a couple of greats this week, but we gained a second Ride Along movie. I guess this is Trump's America.

53 comments:

  1. I've watched the first halves of, like, ten movies in the past week. I should watch all the second halves over the weekend.

    Spent most of the week listening to Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory a lot. The loss aches more than I would have ever thought it would.

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  2. Just finished Cobain: Montage of Heck. An excellent documentary that delves into the man's psyche through a wealth of home videos and Cobain's journals. Riveting stuff.

    Plan for the weekend includes The Man Who Fell to Earth (which I've never seen but DVR'd a long time ago) and Dogma (which I own but haven't watched in years).

    I also found a new movie podcast that's really fun: The Worst Idea of All Time. Two guys from NZ watch a movie a week and discuss it. The twist: it's the same movie every week. They did Grown Ups 2 for a full year and now they're in the middle of Sex and the City 2. Hence the name of the podcast. A really fun listen.

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    1. Re: The Worst Idea of All Time....that sounds off the wall nuts! But I'm curious...I'll check it out. Thanks!

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  3. Found a great shop on my travels, F.Y.E Movies in Fort myers, Massive collection. Picked up a stack, Best was the Scream Factorys Army of Darkness 3 Disc set. But also a 9 film Puppet master boxset, and a few random titles. Crocodile dundee 1,2 Double disc on bluray, couldn't resist it, Man with the Screaming Brain, Roadhouse and Twixt, and about 10 random second hand dvds. Best shop ive found so far. But I have not been in a Movie stop yet

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    1. Hope you didn't pay retail price for any of these "steals." Have you been to the States before? First time visiting Orlando? Any plans to swing by Epcot or Mickey's castle as part of your keep-the-US-economy-going vacation? ;-)

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    2. Im here doing my photography hobby JM, I have been to Orlando a few times before, most expensive was the Army of Darkness new Scream factory edition. $30 but it would be even more at home to import it. All the rest were good prices, nothing over $10 Some quite cheap, the only one I resisted is the friday the 13 bluray set. $79. Seems a lot seeing as I own them all though some only on dvd. And all Theatrical versions put me off,

      Cheers Guys

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  4. Update on last week: I finally got to see Ran! Man, what awesome stuff. Those battle sequences, man. Loved it!!

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    1. Didn't I tell you "Ran" would make "Kagemusha" its bitch? :-P It's playing for a week in New York in late January/early February in a new restoration that will then tour the country. Imagine all those reds, yellows, cast of thousands and epic soundtrack on the big screen. Jealous?

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    2. I would enjoy that VERY much. If nothing else, Ran is better for the battle montage set to score. That was amazing!

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  5. Even if Deadpool sucks I have thoroughly enjoyed this advertising campaign.

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  6. Watched "All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records". Being a former Tower employee from 1995-2006, Colin Hanks does a good job of explaining the rise but misses on several important details about the Tower experience and the way things fell apart. Hanks' doc is very West Coast biased (which I can't hold against it; that's where Tower started) but it fails to show how each and every Tower Store had it own personality. Where I am, we had "Metal" Tower, "Import" Tower, "Hip Hop Vinyl" Tower, "Classical" Tower etc... - "Oh you like that? Go to that one, they have the best selection of _____." Each store had it's own music buyers and they employed there own store artist. If anyone remembers all of those foamcore album designs hanging around the walls of Tower, those were created by an Employee of the store specifically hired to do signage and art. A typical store had around 20-30 employees (turnover was ridiculous; it's retail man, the pay sucked!) but everyone brought something. We had experts on just about every genre covered.

    It also somewhat explains the fall but doesn't get deep enough. Towards the end (mid-late 2006) we were having to go to Best Buy on new release day, buy a ton of copies of the hottest new release from them and scan them into our system for sale because the company failed on having the funds to cover those PO's. There were a few times when we received our paychecks in the form of Money Orders because they couldn't cover payroll! The ultimate demise was 1. Tower was over priced. Big Box stores were on the rise and were killing us. 2. Downloading music and mp3's were becoming the norm. and 3. The inmates were pretty much running the Asylum. All in all, I was disappointed in the Doc but I'm glad it exists.

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    1. Have you heard the Projection Booth podcast about "All Things Must Pass"? It's pretty much a love fest, but worth a listen if you liked the documentary.

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    2. Thanks, Vargas. Nah, as you see from the review, I didn't really care for the doc. It didn't go deep enough, it's really a run of the mill doc and Tower holds a really special place in my heart so it was a let down.

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    3. Then actually do listen to the PB podcast. When I said 'it's a love fest' I meant about Tower Records and the memories of those who shopped/worked there (including the interviewed co-producer, who worked with Colin Hanks hands-on). Yes, everybody gushes about the documentary, but if you want a healthy dose of nostalgia about Tower then go ahead and listen. You're going to like the way it sounds, I GUARANTEE IT. ;-)

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  7. I just watched the arrow bluray of the 80's Thanksgiving slasher Blood Rage and didn't realize I was watching the version that had alot of the gore cut out. Once I went back and watched the uncut version I thought it was fucking awesome. I now have a go to movies for Thanksgiving every year. "That isn't cranberry sauce"

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  8. Has anybody seen Wolfhound from 2002? I love the cover art.

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    1. Wynorski uncredited Director, it's gotta be good!

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  9. No but that cover art is sexy,

    Sold....

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  10. No but that cover art is sexy,

    Sold....

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  11. I saw Goodfellas for the first time and it was great. But i admit I covered my eyes through some of it. I watched it to see if the women were cool (because I'm obsessed), and Karen was really cool and aware. I love her monologue about the other wives wearing too much makeup and all. I thought that was great.

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    1. It's okay but it's like you died and woke up in jew heaven.

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  12. If anyone is looking to watch an interesting take on the home invasion genre, check out "Intruders". It has Martin Starr and Rory Caulkin (ugh) and a good performance from the lead actress from the show Leverage, Beth Riesgraf. It's not amazing or anything, but there's a lot to like. I would advise not reading the summary and go in blind.

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  13. Do you ever watch a performance for the first time and think it's the worst- the most wooden-blockiest acting ever, then on your forth or fifth+ viewing start not only to accept it but really approve of it? It's a weird phenomenon to me.

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    1. Almost every Steve Carell performance.

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    2. Hayden Christensen with Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. I could never quite figure if it was Hayden's wooden acting that made Anakin seem wooden or it was George Lucas dialogue.

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    3. Oh ya, I felt the same way about Hayden Christiansen in those movies. Also Natalie Portman actually. I remember liking only Ewan McGregor's performance off the bat. So I didn't know how to explain the other two.

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  14. Stewardess School (1986) - fantastic!

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    1. Whoa you just brought me back to my childhood when I watched Stewardess School on Usa's Up All Night. That has to be the first sex comedy I ever saw and I knew I was watching something bad but I kept watching anyway haha

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    2. I had the exact same experience with Up All Night, Travis! Somehow I missed Stewardess School but their programming was incredible!

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    3. I'm having a hard time remembering, did they show up all night movies unedited? I remember raunchy stuff but I can't recall if there was nudity or crazy violence or anything like that.

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    4. I believe they were edited, but I also can't really remember. Stewardess School is rated R but by today's standards would be PG-13. There is no nudity in the movie which is crazy! Interestingly, many of the films the we remember being sex heavy or raunchy were in fact rated PG (Snowballing 1984 - which actually HAS nudity!) or more toned down than we remember. As a kid it's such a different experience because you feel like you're watching something you shouldn't be. It's so much fun revisiting those and experience them as an adult.

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    5. Yea I remember watching Stewardess School and a horror movie called Captive or Captivity about a killer terrorizing 2 female campers and I thought I was going to go to hell for watching it haha oh the wonders of the innocent kid brain.

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    6. I need to know what Horror film you're talking about! I tried looking up anything close and around that time but only came up with a crime/thriller called Captive from '86. Let me know if you have more info/details you can remember.

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    7. K I fell down the rabbit hole trying to find this damn movie and I think I got the the title wrong, I believe it's either Abducted from '86 or its sequel Abducted 2. All I remember is a mountain man terrorizing a woman and assaulting her and I watched the trailer and it looks like that might be it. I can't say if it's a good movie or not, it probably isn't, but man it stuck with me. Apparently it's hard to come by these days but it did show on up all night.

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    8. Awesome! I'm gonna watch both Abducted and A2 since I haven't seen them. Thanks, man!

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    9. I couldn't get my hands on Abducted but I watched Abducted 2 last night and it had the USA Up All Night Intro! Unfortunately, that was the best part of the movie.

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  15. I took a bunch of kids to watch The Peanuts Movie (I got a hold of free tickets). Damn, 5 minutes in I suddenly remembered why I never liked Charlie Brown, and spent the rest of the movie waiting for it to end. The kids never laughed, except during 1 sequence at the very end.

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  16. I was so desperate to watch Cutthroats Nine that I watched a really shitty vhs version on Amazon prime on my phone. I really liked it, could definitely see the influence on the Hateful Eight. Love the plot, love the violence, I just had a hard time telling the characters apart and the editing was very choppy and the flashbacks were confusing. I would love to see the bluray version that code red has out. Unfortunately I was too broke to buy it when it was available the other day. If you loved Hateful Eight I would totally check out Cutthroats Nine.

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  17. This is kind of late, but, as I mentioned on Adam Riske's top ten, I wouldn't make my list without seeing The Revenant or Anomalisa. Spoiler alert: neither made my list (the former may be a bit surprising--or not--when you read it).

    Honorable Mentions
    Inside Out
    This was a really funny movie with a really important theme. More people my age should watch this movie.

    Ex Machina
    I really wanted this to be on my top ten. It didn’t make it. Here it is.

    10. Bone Tomahawk
    As you’ll soon see, this list is practically my favorite Westerns of the Year. I really liked Bone Tomahawk, but imagine if I saw it a) in a theater and b) when I wasn’t sick, I would have like it even more. Looking forward to revisiting this one.

    9. The End of the Tour
    Part of the reason I liked this so much was that I felt such a connection to Jason Segel as David Foster Wallace. Not so much that we’re both literary geniuses (we are), but the post-modern self-awareness that constantly weighs upon his mind.

    8. Sicario
    If you say this isn’t a Western, I’ll say your wrong. A bleak, bleak movie that is brilliantly shot by Roger Deakins.

    7. Slow West
    I was surprised by how intimate this movie is. It’s also a wonderful commentary on the Western genre, with a cigar-chomping performance by Michael Fassbender.

    6. It Follows
    I rewatched this on Blu-Ray recently. Perhaps it would be higher if I hadn’t— in the theater, the constant creeping camera was something that really made me feel real “dread”, as JB called it. Also, giant.

    5. The Hateful Eight
    The first time I watched The Hateful Eight, I was angry afterwards. Why? I’m not sure. Was it the titular hate? Probably. Did I enter the theater with specific idea of what it should be? Most likely. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and went to see it a second time in 70mm and it instantly jumped onto my list. It’s also my highest ranked Western on this list, which is strange considering it mostly takes place in one room.

    4. Mad Max: Fury Road
    I remember seeing the trailer for this before It Follows and feeling really uncomfortable with the world it was creating. I went to see it and still felt uncomfortable, but also thrilled, exhilarated, and really pumped to tear down the patriarchy.

    3. Crimson Peak
    I love love love this movie. I loved the romance (all of them), the ghosts, the costumes, the…everything! I originally put it higher up, but moved it to where it belongs as I wrote this.

    2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    I’ve only seen this three times so far. This is not enough.

    1. Spotlight
    I love a good mystery. I romanticize journalism and its role in a democracy. This movie has it all. There’s a personal, religious context here for me, too, which, I’m sure greatly influenced my viewing of it. I cried during this movie—twice (once involving Rachel McAdams’ character’s grandmother and once when I read the title cards at the end). It’s phenomenal filmmaking and a really important story to tell.

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  19. Stop what you're doing and go watch No Escape.

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    1. Seen it, agree, it's great. The Liotta one is as well.

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    2. I couldn't believe how good it was and how emotional it made me feel. This would have been on my top ten list had I seen it last year.

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  20. Since this is an open thread....about "The Force Awakens"...

    Since Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin can appear to Luke when he's not even looking for it to happen, why hasn't Grandpa Anakin appeared to Kylo in all of this time, dope slap him and go "I was wrong! Everything I did was wrong! Knock it off, you little prick!".....?

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    1. In a new TFA art book there's concept art for Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin's force ghost.

      I don't like the idea of canonizing the SE's but the concept art is really cool. Whenever the ghost is under shadow the shadow illuminates the Vader suit.

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  21. Just like last week, I had a busy weekend in front of my TV set, first watching the remaining six episodes of the first season of "Fortitude", a very interesting mystery series.
    Next I changed into movie mode and watched "The Fantastic Four aka The Fant4stick", clearly the worst superhero movie since "The green lantern". I think aside from the first third, nothing works the least bit in this film.
    Next was the HBO movie "Nightingale" starring a fantastic David Oyelowo as the sole character of that piece. Very strange and very interesting.
    Next came "Kill your darlings" starring former Harry Potter, former Dexter Morgan and former Harry Osborn. Well, it was fine but all those biopics about guys from the so-called Beat Generation are something I have problems connecting with. So, it was played well by a very fine cast, had great cinematography by Reed Morano but ultimately wasn´t my cup of tea.
    Last one was "The salvation" reuniting "Casino Royale" stars Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green in a small scale but fine little western - a danish western. This term makes me smile a bit because "danish western" is a synonym for porn here in Germany ;-) Don´t worry, there´s no porn here, only bullets and blood.
    Mads Mikkelsen doesn´t speak very much during the film and Eva Green´s role is completely silent. A classic revenge story, fine lensing, good cast, entertaining.
    So, an ok weekend with two good ones, one in the middle and one real dud.
    I also started watching "Cockney vs Zombies" but had to stop when some friends came to visit, so this one has to wait until next weekend.

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  22. I re-watched Total Recall for the first time in ages and it kicks so much ass. Am I the only one who has a fondness for early CGI in a nostalgic sense? After rewatching this I think I've grown fond of its unique look.

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    1. No, you're not the only one...Love that movie...

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