ysbreker

Movie/TV recommendations

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Fight scenes just aren't the same after you've studied any kind of martial art. Systema makes me boggle at how impractical most choreographed stuff is.

Movie fighting is kind of like human shaped robots and talking computers: Their primary function is to convey (and prolong) drama.

Edit:

Even established martial arts can evolve to the point of becoming theatrical parodies with no real application. Here's a very sad pair of videos.

This guy is apparently some kind of grand master. I didn't have to look at him work for more than a few seconds to see he and his followers are in a fantasy world:

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Here's the same guy getting his ass kicked by a student of Brazillian Jiu Jitsu:

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The problem for films is that if they were to feature realistic fights, either between master swordsmen or some dudes brawling in the street, either way it's going to be over very quickly. In the latter case, it would also not be particularly balletic or aesthetically pleasing at all. Fights are ugly and quick.

Edited by Nachimir

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Wow. I don't know what kind of Bud Spencer & Terence Hill acting school this guy is on, but it damn well isn't aikido. Aikido is very visceral and very 'grounded' - which isn't to say it'd be effective in a real life bar fight of course. Few martial arts are, but then few are meant for any sort of application outside the gym or dojo.

Anyway, I beg to differ about more realistic fights being less interesting on film. I'm not dissing Jacky Chan-style antics, that can be really fun. But if I see some of those kendo videos, I'm holding my breath in ways lightsabers didn't today. The tension of waiting for that one, swift strike is extremely suspenseful and cinema has appreciated and exploited this excellently before. Just think back to any Sergio Leone western or samurai epic, where the final duel would be decided with a single bullet or slash of the sword. Gimme that in Star Wars, please.

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To be fair, the fight in Phantom Menace is pretty aw

some

. It was choreographed by a master martial artist, and as movie fights go, was pretty good. Certainly better than the Vader/Kenobi fight.

A short fight sequence would not have been as dramatic. It's just not the movie for realism, imo.

Aside: If you want to watch a passable version of the film, track down The Phantom Edit Redux - not the Phantom Edit. It's amazing what happens when you take out the crap bits... It becomes almost entertaining.

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Huh? Who else besides Schmidt has been portrayed as a child? Did I miss some episodes? Anyways, the show seems to be getting better.

Schmidt was in bunny ears, right? Zooey's character has been shown twice as a slightly over weight girl in glasses.

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Don't know if it's been mentioned on here yet, but This Is England is amazing. I've been watching through it all, just about to start on the latest episodes. Totes worth checking out, genuinely some of the most amazingly real characters I've ever seen.

I've seen the film, which I really enjoyed, but wasn't aware there was a television show.

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I've seen the film, which I really enjoyed, but wasn't aware there was a television show.

This is England '86

This is England '88

This is England '90 coming soon

'88 really rips your heart to pieces, then has you bursting out with laughter seconds later. Excellent stuff.

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Pointless fact: One of the kids from This Is England is from Derby as a few friends spotted him in the pub a few weeks back. He dresses like a scally bastard in real life too!

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Probably 'cos he is! None of them (or maybe 1 at the outside) were so called 'actors' before taking the roles. Or so it's said.

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Probably 'cos he is! None of them (or maybe 1 at the outside) were so called 'actors' before taking the roles. Or so it's said.

That would explain it then!

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Wow. I don't know what kind of Bud Spencer & Terence Hill acting school this guy is on, but it damn well isn't aikido.

Bud Spencer & Terence Hill are awesome, and their fighting work is slapstick. This guy simply has very bad breath.

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To be fair, the fight in Phantom Menace is pretty aw

some

.

I distinctly remember finding it boring when I was 10 or 11. I just checked on Youtube, and it's still very off-the-mark for me. The annoying lightsaber bvvv bvvv effect make it sound like a fight between angry bees.

But that's just me.

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That martial arts stuff was silly, but I kept focusing on the ref who looked like they just found some random dude in a 7-11 to preside over the fight.

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I distinctly remember finding it boring when I was 10 or 11. I just checked on Youtube, and it's still very off-the-mark for me. The annoying lightsaber bvvv bvvv effect make it sound like a fight between angry bees.

But that's just me.

I'm sure just how they try to explain the force in episode 1, someday we will be told that lightsabers are powered by ancient space bees.

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Probably 'cos he is! None of them (or maybe 1 at the outside) were so called 'actors' before taking the roles. Or so it's said.

Yeah, they're all from the Midlands, as is Shane Meadows. I vaguely know Andrew Shim (Milky) and have seen some of the other actors shopping in Nottingham city centre.

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Pointless fact: One of the kids from This Is England is from Derby as a few friends spotted him in the pub a few weeks back. He dresses like a scally bastard in real life too!

A lot of them are based in the region. I sometimes see members of the cast having meetings in the building EM Media are based in, and friends have seen them out clubbing too.

Fun fact: The (alleged) reason This is England has a scene set at the seaside is that filming a bit in Grimsby meant they could get some extra production money from Screen Yorkshire, as well as the load EM Media put in.

I used to live at the bottom of the neighbourhood most of the film was made in; the subways have been filled in now, and some of the houses have been demolished.

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Schmidt was in bunny ears, right? Zooey's character has been shown twice as a slightly over weight girl in glasses.

She was portrayed by a real life child, wasn't she? It's not like Monica in a fat suit.

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I've been really enjoying Blue Mountain State. It's a bit inline with movies like Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds, American Pie, etc. But this time it follows the jocks. It's so dumb, it's funny. (also, S02E07 contains a Goldblum reference)

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I recently watched 'The Secret of Kells' and was very much impressed by it. It's a Belgian/French/Irish animated film from 2009.

While the story is quite nice with some sparks I wouldn't say it's very special. Mean cold uncle, boy is special, evil forces, etc. - the best aspect in this department might be that

the heroes power is not destructive but creative

(for the most part).

The great appeal of the movie is its art style. Everything fits together, characterizes people/moods/tension, the way the characters are drawn, their surroundings, the use of colour, the animation, shapes, all parts complement each other. It's all pretty expressive, which might put some people off, but I liked it a lot. Lots of shots are fantastic compositions...- my words are stupid, go do an image(/trailer) search - better yet, watch the movie!

I haven't seen an animated film that uses the medium that well, does so many things a live-action film couldn't do. That probably just means I haven't seen a lot/enough of the good ones - if you know Kells and have a recommendation in the same vain, please, let me know.

Pretty:

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post-1101-13375603568619_thumb.jpg

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Gosh, I really still need to make an effort to see Kells movie. The character designs themselves really put me off, but everything else I've ever seen or heard about the movie really speak of something remarkable.

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I saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for the third time in theatres on Friday, with Sean this time. Man I really love that film. I honestly feel like I'd be happy to see it yet again in the near future.

I've also been really pleased by how many people I run into who saw it once, thought it was really good, and said they'd like to see it again. I think it's a good sign for modern film that I've encountered so many folks who acknowledge how dense and layered it is but don't just say "Yeah that was too complicated," and render a positive opinion even though they feel they still need another viewing to fully absorb it all.

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It's a beautiful film, and I'm glad they managed to adapt a 70's novel without adding any over the top action. Most of it is beautifully understated, especially the scene

near the end in the safe house

.

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