Movie/TV recommendations

[TychoCelchuuu]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/synecdoche_new_york/news/1775535/rt_interview_charlie_kaufman_on_synecdoche_new_york/

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-and-arts/2013/10/14/the-daily-horror-movie-takes-a-philosophical-turn-with-“synecdoche-new-york

[tegan]

I'm editing all of the metadata and adding thumbnails for all the movies on my hard drive. It's surprisingly satisfying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...Stealing is wrong.

[tegan]

...I made 157 thumbnails by hand for Twilight Zone episodes.

 

 

[BigJKO]

But isn't there software that already does this stuff automatically? On Mac, there's iFlicks. Don't know what the equivalent PC version would be.

[Shibboleth]

I believe Plex will do that automatically as well.

[Patrick R]

The part of my brain that is still 12 and secretly thinks that PS1 and 90's PC horror games are the scariest things ever really really wants to see this movie: 
 

[Codicier]

Just watched Parks and Recreation for the first time after a low level crappy day, so far it's proving to be the baby animal gifs thread of sitcoms for me.

[Merus]

Just watched Parks and Recreation for the first time after a low level crappy day, so far it's proving to be the baby animal gifs thread of sitcoms for me.

 

I am a big fan of Parks and Rec; they had to retool the second season, and in the process found the show's voice. They've been fearless in changing up the premise and core character relationships ever since. They capitalise on every happy accident they stumble across.

 

It still blows my mind that one of the funniest jokes in the series is a Chris Pratt ad-lib.

[Erkki]

Anybody watching Helix? It seemed good for the first few episodes, and I kept watching although it was getting kind of ridiculous, like Lost, but at least it got there sooner. Episode 9 was like a 90s soap opera more than a modern TV show, just in a sci-fi setting. Episode 10 was a bit better, but I'm not sure if I'll keep watching because the only thing keeping me is to see if the next 3 episodes resolve any of the plot since I've already invested this time into it.

[Frenetic Pony]

I watched The Postman the other day. Directed by and starring Kevin Costner.

 

And honestly it was fairly entertaining in a kind silly, corny way. I honestly don't see what the problem was with him wanting to just be a postman, or with Tom Petty showing up as himself. Seriously, do people expect the celebrities to somehow be the first to go during an apocalypse. And certainly "I believe in the United States!" was groan worthy, but in a fun way.

 

Not that their weren't actual problems. The feeling of time in the movie is entirely off. It will go from a nice sunny day in what seems to be summer to pouring snow with several inches on the ground in what seems like no time. And how is it that the refugees of the apocalypse have so much to write to everyone all of a sudden? The clothing was all patched and dirty all the time like people suddenly forgot how to sew or wash clothes, etc. etc.

 

But really I can see a heck of a lot of influence from this movie on other, far more popular post apocalyptic stuff. EG The Last of US

Seems to have basically taken Joel's injury during winter with Ellie taking care of him directly from The Postman.

There were several things I noted that just seemed to appear wholesale from the movie into say, Fallout 3, New Vegas etc.

 

I really don't see why it was bashed to hell. Heck it was in parts a rather thoughtful, winding, and interesting movie. I'm not sure Will Patton ever gave a better performance, he was quite good as the kinda fraudulent, sneering bad guy. And I really appreciated how they patterned him off Hitler in the mans pseudo intellectualism. I also appreciated Costner as not being "Joe Average" for the good guy. A smart enough reluctant hero rather than "Yipee Kay Yay motherfucker." Not that this makes up for the corniness and silliness, which the movie doesn't do a great job of reconciling the two tones. But it still wasn't bad.

[Erkki]

I really liked this Swedish/Danish cop series The Bridge, featuring an unlikely cop duo: a young, very smart, but emotionally not very developed Swedish detective who has to follow every rule and a more experienced but a bit crooked Danish cop. The first season has them solving a series of murders starting with one body being dumped at the very border of Sweden and Denmark. One review called the plot one step from Batman-ish and I think that's a somewhat accurate. I liked it for the weird, broken characters.

 

There is also a US version. I checked out the beginning and it seems to be pretty much exactly the same, but set in US & Mexico (weird choice if you ask me).

[Nappi]

I really liked this Swedish/Danish cop series The Bridge, featuring an unlikely cop duo: a young, very smart, but emotionally not very developed Swedish detective who has to follow every rule and a more experienced but a bit crooked Danish cop. The first season has them solving a series of murders starting with one body being dumped at the very border of Sweden and Denmark. One review called the plot one step from Batman-ish and I think that's a somewhat accurate. I liked it for the weird, broken characters.

 

There is also a US version. I checked out the beginning and it seems to be pretty much exactly the same, but set in US & Mexico (weird choice if you ask me).

 

Apparently also a British/French version called The Tunnel...

[Bjorn]

I watched The Postman the other day. Directed by and starring Kevin Costner.

 

And honestly it was fairly entertaining in a kind silly, corny way. I honestly don't see what the problem was with him wanting to just be a postman, or with Tom Petty showing up as himself. Seriously, do people expect the celebrities to somehow be the first to go during an apocalypse. And certainly "I believe in the United States!" was groan worthy, but in a fun way.

 

Not that their weren't actual problems. The feeling of time in the movie is entirely off. It will go from a nice sunny day in what seems to be summer to pouring snow with several inches on the ground in what seems like no time. And how is it that the refugees of the apocalypse have so much to write to everyone all of a sudden? The clothing was all patched and dirty all the time like people suddenly forgot how to sew or wash clothes, etc. etc.

 

But really I can see a heck of a lot of influence from this movie on other, far more popular post apocalyptic stuff. EG The Last of US

Seems to have basically taken Joel's injury during winter with Ellie taking care of him directly from The Postman.

There were several things I noted that just seemed to appear wholesale from the movie into say, Fallout 3, New Vegas etc.

 

I really don't see why it was bashed to hell. Heck it was in parts a rather thoughtful, winding, and interesting movie. I'm not sure Will Patton ever gave a better performance, he was quite good as the kinda fraudulent, sneering bad guy. And I really appreciated how they patterned him off Hitler in the mans pseudo intellectualism. I also appreciated Costner as not being "Joe Average" for the good guy. A smart enough reluctant hero rather than "Yipee Kay Yay motherfucker." Not that this makes up for the corniness and silliness, which the movie doesn't do a great job of reconciling the two tones. But it still wasn't bad.

 

If you enjoyed it, I'd suggested giving the novel a shot.  I saw the movie first, then read the book.  The pacing of the book is much better, and gets into some other territory that wouldn't have fit with the movie.

 

I agree, I thought the film was better than critics at the time gave it credit for.  Certainly not 9 percent bad on RT.

[brkl]

Man, True Detective has been disappointing since the fourth episode, but more and more so. Finally, its descended to "there are no atheists in the trenches" bullshit. Guh.

[Roderick]

I came around, at last, to watching The Wolf of Wall Street. I hadn't expected it to be as racously funny as it was. Somewhere I thought it'd go more along the lines of a Casino, that really hits you when it all goes to shit. Wolf never ceases with its fascinating, ironic and outrageous showcase of debauchery and vile, vile temptations. Wondrous.

[Gormongous]

Man, True Detective has been disappointing since the fourth episode, but more and more so. Finally, its descended to "there are no atheists in the trenches" bullshit. Guh.

 

Yeah. Some blogger spun it as, "To cope with the evil wrought by mysticism and superstition, Rust turns to mysticism and superstition," which I almost like, but I know it wasn't the writer's intent, not that that matters.

 

I honestly thought for a brief second that Childress was going to kill them both and was really impressed by the show's courage. Two washed up cops try to purge their demons by chasing a real one, eat shit, and die disgraced and forgotten, having ruined no few lives in the process. But no, there's the last-minute shot to the head and then fifteen minutes spent patting them on the back. Cohle even has a moment of closeness to his ex-wife, which is sure as hell not a happy ending for me after how he treated her.

 

Anyway, for me, it's a weak ending, but it doesn't ruin what the show was for me, and it is this guy's first show, after all. Maybe the next season, which has been teased to be starring actual women, will impress through and through.

[sclpls]

Yeah, I thought True Detectives was a brilliantly directed TV show hobbled by a screenplay written by a guy that thinks too highly of himself. I also agree that the first four episodes were much stronger than the last four.

[Nappi]

I came around, at last, to watching The Wolf of Wall Street. I hadn't expected it to be as racously funny as it was. Somewhere I thought it'd go more along the lines of a Casino, that really hits you when it all goes to shit. Wolf never ceases with its fascinating, ironic and outrageous showcase of debauchery and vile, vile temptations. Wondrous.

 

I really liked how The Wolf of Wall Street let you genuinely laugh at all that outrageous shit without constantly playing ominous music on top of all the partying (with one notable exception). It made the "hangover" bit much more effective.

 

Most enjoyable movie I have seen in a while.

[Nachimir]

What boggled me is that
 

the guy who introduces DiCaprio's character for the sales seminar at the very end is the real Jordan Belfort. I wonder what he thought of the final edit…

[Merus]

What boggled me is that

 

the guy who introduces DiCaprio's character for the sales seminar at the very end is the real Jordan Belfort. I wonder what he thought of the final edit…

 

I understand he was warned in advance that it wasn't going to be a positive portrayal.

[brkl]

Honestly I don't think it's that critical. It's about guys being all crazy, sleeping with beautiful women and making use of everything money can buy. A critical movie would have focused on the effect of the system and their actions, not how they had all these escapades and got away with it.

[Merus]

Honestly I don't think it's that critical. It's about guys being all crazy, sleeping with beautiful women and making use of everything money can buy. A critical movie would have focused on the effect of the system and their actions, not how they had all these escapades and got away with it.

 

It's not critical of them; they were allowed and encouraged to do whatever they wanted. It's critical of the 'normal' people who gave 'em the big thumbs up to be terrible i.e. us.

[Roderick]

Well, one thing the movie deliberately does is never, ever show us the victims: the thousands of people whom Jordan Belford swindled out of their savings with toxic penny stocks. The closest thing to a victim on screen isn't even on screen:

The guy on the other end of the telephone when Jordan mimics how he's screwing him over while making a sale.

In that sense, there is an effort on the film's part to downplay how heinous all of this was, beyond the personal effects on Belford (his health and relationships). I'm not critical at the movie about this, I've just noticed it. To me, Wolf of Wall Street isn't so much Casino, it's Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.

[Nachimir]

It's interesting that they waited until pretty much the last shot to

show a crowd of hungry, potential victims. That was one of the most resonant moments of the film for me, as if it was saying all those victims are there because they're greedy, but that doesn't absolve him.

 

I wouldn't call it a rosy portrayal of Belfort;

like his victims, major life events (marriage, births) are essentially background, and that seemed to me more of a portrayal of his selfishness and indifference to them rather than the effects things have on him.

Its singular focus on portraying a profligate business does a fairly good job showing him as a terrible human being. Not as resonant this side of the Atlantic, but I bet his

 

"fuck america" speech raised some hackles too.

 

Edit: oops, spoilers.

[Roderick]

I wonder if, in the Star Trek future we're all headed to in hundreds of years, people will see this movie as the most obvious indictment of man's flaws, whereas right now we're all unsure how much of a moral statement it makes.

The final shot is rather telling, indeed. The sight of that crowd of people all begging for Belford to spread his noxious ideas and turn them into him, wow.