Saturday, May 21, 2016

Weekend Open Thread

If it bleeds, we should watch it.

Several of us FTM writers will be at #CCFF this week, and we'll be sure to report back on what we see. What are you all watching? Seen anything good lately?

Will anyone be watching Preacher this weekend on AMC? I haven't read the comic since 1996 or so.

40 comments:

  1. I've seen "X-Men: Apocalypse" on Thursday and I still try to wrap my head around it. It feeled like the X-Men Movies from the early 2000s, just with a way higher budget. Is it funny? Yes, occasionally. Is it a bit cheesy? Sometimes for sure. Was it entertaining? Yes. But is it a really good movie? No, I wouldn't say so.
    The basic conflict is still the same like it somehow was in the six X-Men Movies before (not counting the Wolverine spin-offs and Deadpool). Yes, there is a different nuance, but I wonder as someone, who did not read the comics, if this Franchise has more to it than just two widely different worldviews clashing.

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  2. I'll be watching Preacher, fully aware that they're not setting out to do a totally faithful adaptation of the comic, which I'm ok with so long as the end result is good. I reread the comics every few years so I'm a bit of fan.

    I watched The Nice Guys which I really dug. I won't go into details since it sounds like several people here are seeing it later for various reasons, but it's good Shane Black work.

    Still want to watch a few more movies about bands, but I've also started watching all the Sean Bean made for U.K. TV Sharpe movies. My dad is really into historical fiction so I try to find stuff like this that he and I can both watch and talk about. We watched the first season of The Last Kingdom as well which is also based on a series of Bernard Cornwell novels. I've only watched the first two Sharpe movies so far, but I'm really enjoying them and it's not like there's a ton of TV or movies out there set during the Napoleonic Wars.

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    1. I'm still hoping they'll one day adapt Battle Pope to movie or TV. As long as he teams up with Jesus H. Christ, I'll consider it "faithful" to the comic.

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  3. I saw Morris From America last night at the Chicago Critics Film Fest. It opens in August and is worth checking out. It's the best thing Craig Robinson has ever done.

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    1. That's great. I've always loved Craig Robinson, even though he's usually playing a supporting role as the "funny black guy". I heard him interviewed once which really endeared me to him. It'd be nice to see him tackle something less obvious and more dramatic.

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    2. Edit: Only seen a handful of his movies, so I might have missed something.

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  4. Yes! Predator! Having recently rewatched the original, I decided last night to watch 2010's Predators, after Patrick said he enjoyed it on the (very funny) Cabin Fever episode.

    I enjoyed it a lot. The characters, although being incredibly stereotypical, we get to know a little, and understand the relations between them. The basic plot mostly follows the 80's version, but with some changes (some big, some small) that keep this interesting to watch.

    Of course I then launched myself into Predators 2, and fell asleep about 20 minutes in dreaming of guns, gangs, Danny Glover, and explosions among a bunch of featureless characters.

    Predators is what these constant sequels/reboots should be. Don't take Bladerunner, and make Bladerunner 2 (or Bladerunners). You'll never live up to the original. Take something, like Predator or Universal Soldier, that never got a decent sequel, and make it right. Or maybe, just maybe, some great original material, dare I dream?

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  5. Rewatched Liza the Fox-Fairy. Damn I love that movie! Again, I urge anyone to seek it out if possible.

    Also decided to revisit Hellboy II. Didn't like it the first time around, didn't like it that much this time either. For me it comes down to, the first one is a Mike Mignola movie and the sequel is a Del Toro movie. As a fan of the comic book, I enjoy the Mignola movie a lot more, even though it has its problems.

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    1. I love Hellboy II. That angel of death scene blows me away.

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  6. GO SEE THE NICE GUYS! This movie was made specifically for me. I loved it. Shane Black can do no wrong. I do not like Russell Crowe but he was fantastic in this movie. GO SEE THE NICE GUYS!

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    1. I can't even remember the last time I had that much fun in a movie theater. The Nice Guys is such a blast! I think Ryan Gosling might be a better comedic actor than dramatic. That guy is hilarious.

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  7. Just saw Lo and Behold: Reveries of a Connected World at the CCFF. It's the new doc by Werner Herzog about the internet. It's boring as fuck. To be fair, I'm usually mixed on his stuff.

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  8. I watched "We are still here" today on netflix and it was really good. It went from creepy to crazy real quick haha.

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  9. I think I can recommend "Crush The Skull". It's a lot better than I expected and pretty well done! The actors were obviously having a great time and it shines through. They were pretty likable in my opinion. I actually laughed a lot more than I thought and I'm a hard sell for Horror/Comedies.

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  10. Caught up with Civil War last night. It was fine. I'm watching Commando right now for the umpteenth time. Archetypal perfection. Rae Dawn Chong deserves props for making the ridiculous world where she goes along (enthusiastically) with Arnold seem a little plausible. Little Milano kills it as well. I've never listened back to back but I think James Horner lifted entire sections of his 48 Hrs. score for this one. STEEL DRUMS!!
    Have a good weekend all. I cannot wait for junesploitation!!!

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  11. If you're into gross out Horror, "Bite" is your movie. I'm not really a fan of that sub-genre and I didn't like it too much, but it definitely accomplished what it set out to do. The effects and set design, given it's limited space, were fantastic.

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    1. I thought what they had to say about it on Shockwaves was interesting. I'll definitely check it out!

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  12. Everyone should watch "Look Who's Back" on Netflix. The best movie about Hitler coming to the modern world ever.

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  13. So I finally took Patrick's recommendation and watched 'Pieces'. He was right. Pieces is bonkers crazy and one of the most insane things in existence. Awesome? Perhaps. We need a commentary on it this scary movie month!

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    1. Pieces is great and a commentary would make me get out the good lube.

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    2. ^^^ Not if it replaces "Exorcist II: The Heretic" in the must-do horror commentary list. Come on, Bromley, make me and JB happy. Do 'em both, "Pieces" and "The Heretic" for the ultimate 1-2 punch of goofy horror silliness (one intentional, the other one... not so much).

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    3. Any chance someone can find out between now and the recording (if it hasn't been done already) who the hell that girl going through the mirror...and why she's too dumb to jump off of the skateboard before the crash?

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    4. I believe that Doug said Pieces was his favorite scary movie.

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    5. Night of the Living Dead is Doug's favorite scary movie.

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    6. I still laugh at Pazooku will lead us to Patchuko! JB

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    7. Then again, Eli Roth says "Pieces" is one of his favorite horror movies....

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    8. I may of just come around again on Eli. :)

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  14. I watched We Are The Best, a couple times. I didn't plan to watch it again on Saturday but the girls are so adorable and it's one of those really-easy-to-watch ones with distinct characters. Also there was a lot of stuff in it I wasn't expecting the first time (draamaa). Actually from the trailer I was expecting a movie with like a Karen O soundtrack, like Where The Wild Things Are, you know, with kids just snarling and screaming WE ARE THE BEST! WE ARE THE BEST like I AM THE KING or something. Thankfully there WAS jumping and screaming, just a lot more, too. Oh, also, they talked so fast that it was such a relief the second viewing to already know what they were going to say and not have to fully read the captions. It was really refreshing to see girls - going through like the hardest years of childhood, I would argue - having so much fun.

    I fell in love with a feminist movie podcast Loose Canon this week...and she mentioned a film by Jane Campion I want to see, Charlotte Gray. I saw ONE SCENE in that film where Cate Blanchett stops a guy from raping her by telling him she's "dirty down there today," buying herself some time. Yea- THAT stuck with me FOREVER, I'm finally gonna see the rest of that movie.

    I was wondering, is there any love here for Jeff Wayne's War of the World's Rock Opera from 1978? I heard it's eery sounds like at 3 AM on college radio a decade ago, but I've never been able to connect the music with..."it's people". Also, DJ Shadow's "Diminishing Returns".

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    1. I haven't thought about that War of the Worlds record in years, but yeah, it's pretty creepy from what I remember. Shadow has a new record coming next month btw. I'm not crazy about his later records but I'll always give him a listen. Entroducing is a classic and the tracks he produced for Zimbabwe Legit and the Lifer's Group remix.

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  15. It is so crazy bc Diminishing Returns doesn't sound like anything else I've found DJ Shadow has done. Chaybee, please, try it out, it's so nuts.

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    1. Oh, I'm not discrediting Diminishing Returns, I've got the vinyl :)

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    2. No way?! Ohhhh, that is so cool, Chaybee, good job! =D

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    3. A friend passed me Diminishing Returns, but never got around to checking it out. Loved all of his work, so I'll be sure to listen to it shortly. Thanks!

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  16. Revisited Long Kiss Goodnight cause couldn't get to the theater this weekend for Nice Guys. People sleep on this movie being a Christmas film. It's beautifully shot for the season with snow, music, etc... I know it's sometimes in the conversation, but more overlooked by Black's other films. There's also great dated references to a "Portable phone" and "Baywatch Nights". ALso - this is probably the greatest piece of a script I've ever read in my life:

    "That's when the helicopter crashes. The pilot does everything
    but flap his arms -- Forget it. IT KEELS OVER. Rotor touches
    pavement -- Blows to pieces. They ALL go. Snapped off. Blown like rockets in every direction.

    TIMOTHY LOOKS UP as a rotor blade whistles right through the
    windshield of his car. Shears off his HEAD. Blows out the
    BACK in a shower of glass and hurtles onward, SPINNING out
    of control...

    Strikes the tanker. Boom.

    Imagine God in Monte Carlo. Tossing dice the length of a
    craps table. Now, imagine the dice are BURNING CARS."

    Are you kidding?! Brilliant.

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    1. Near the end when Sam Jackson's bloody face pops into frame and that crunchy blues riff plays.. Exploding heart moment.

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    2. Are you thinking what im thinking?

      I hope not cause im thinking how much my Balls hurt!

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