Movie/TV recommendations

[ThunderPeel2001]

Science-fiction, is it?

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/152/

Wow, cool, not sure if the film didn't go further than that, though. I seem to remember "circus orangutan" being an answer he gave... Which goes far beyond wanting ice cream. Still, that's pretty impressive.

[Nappi]

Just watched Natural Born Killers. Two hours more than wasted! What a piece of crap.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Holy crappers. I was just reading about Babylon 5. Apparently the creator wrote 92 out of the 110 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through the third and fourth seasons, and all but one episode of the fifth season.

How is this even possible? Was the writing any good?

[Orv]

Holy crappers. I was just reading about Babylon 5. Apparently the creator wrote 92 out of the 110 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through the third and fourth seasons, and all but one episode of the fifth season.

How is this even possible? Was the writing any good?

How can you even ask that question, Thunder? I thought you were a good person.

The writing for Babylon 5 is surprisingly fantastic considering that it's sort of the height of cheesy, feel-good sci-fi. Give it a watch.

[epiclairs]

Just finished watching Ink

Strangely decent Fantasy/Sci Fi-ish flick I watched on netflix. It's a pretty hard movie to describe without giving away some of story. That said, It comes complete with cute badass fighting chicks, a dream realm, a creature with an obscenely huge nose, and dudes quest to not completely lose himself in his materialistic and pride-driven world.

If you're bored and want a pretty decent weird movie to watch i'd it.

[Kolzig]

I watched Super 8.

To summarize it:

Crappy Lost creator and Spielberg with kids.

Should've listened to the other peeps who saw it before me that it is crap as that is exactly what it was.

[Orv]

Just finished watching Ink

Strangely decent Fantasy/Sci Fi-ish flick I watched on netflix. It's a pretty hard movie to describe without giving away some of story. That said, It comes complete with cute badass fighting chicks, a dream realm, a creature with an obscenely huge nose, and dudes quest to not completely lose himself in his materialistic and pride-driven world.

If you're bored and want a pretty decent weird movie to watch i'd it.

Seconding this. Ink is strangely compelling.

[DanJW]

I'm off to watch the new Studio Ghibli movie, Arietty tomorrow.

It's based on The Borrowers, my chief memory of which is the crappy BBC adaptation from years ago (they have another one coming up - the BBC like to adapt The Borrowers at least once a decade).

Anyway, I'm going to try and forget that will let you know what this is like. Miyazaki Sr did not direct, but he did write the screenplay. I'm hoping for some Nausicaa homages re: tiny person vs giant insects.

[Kolzig]

Arietty is still two and half months away for the Finnish premiere and propably they will only show that in the bigger cities.

I saw Kokuriko-zaka kara, the next one "From up on Poppy Hill" advertised quite a lot in Japan. That will take again a year to come to Europe/US. Director is Goro Miyazaki in that one and screenplay is again done by Hayao.

My wife informed me a few days ago that apparently one next project from Ghibli will be a documentary about young Miyazaki or something like that. It will be interesting if that is done as animation also. Would like to read some more info about that.

EDIT: And now that I tried checking english websites, at least in those it has been said only that the project is about an autobiography.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Kolzig

[ThunderPeel2001]

It's a beautiful movie, hope you enjoy it.

[Murdoc]

Just watched Natural Born Killers. Two hours more than wasted! What a piece of crap.

I remember trying to watch it in highschool and didn't get through it. All these years I suspected maybe I just didnt "get it" since I dont remember anything about it.

I'll take your comments to know I was right the first time, hehe.

[Ben X]

I watched Super 8.

To summarize it:

Crappy Lost creator and Spielberg with kids.

Worst summary ever.

[Roderick]

Holy crappers. I was just reading about Babylon 5. Apparently the creator wrote 92 out of the 110 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through the third and fourth seasons, and all but one episode of the fifth season.

How is this even possible? Was the writing any good?

Yes yes yes! =) It's great, though there are definitely some cheesy moments in there. But holy shit the Londo / G'Kar stuff is so good.

[Kolzig]

Worst summary ever.

Haha, ok well I go the same feeling from Lost when I was watching it as in why am I wasting my time on that? Still for some reason I watched all the seasons and was massively disappointed the further I got, go figure...

I'm done with J.J. Abrams movies and tv shows. Those are just not for me. The only one that I *might* watch in the future is the next Star Trek, because he probably has his hands on that again and that remake was pretty ok. And Star Trek is Star Trek, I can never miss out on that even if the director was McG / J.J or some other guy on the same level.

Spielberg is known for directing child actors in many of his movies, and in this one I personally had problems with watching the whole bunch of them. Not really solid performances from any of them.

[Ben X]

McG / J.J or some other guy on the same level.

Ooh, harsh!

Well, I loved Lost but I thought Super 8 was just okay. It was a bit shallow, and yeah, the performances aren't all great (I think the girl and lead kid were ok, right? The braceface was quite good in a cartoony way). Certainly better than Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle, though...

[Roderick]

The intensely weird The Man Who Fell To Earth starring 70s David Bowie. Is this a good movie? No, no it isn't. It's ambitious though and it really tries to be all artsy, tries a little too hard perhaps. It wasn't fun to watch, but at times it was interesting.

[Hermie]

The Captain of America was good, clean fun, though you've probably heard this already.

I also caught Midnight in Paris, the latest from Woody Allen. It has plenty of charm and wit, many cool cameos and what can only be described as art and literature fan service. However, I can never buy Owen Wilson as a character that isn't Owen Wilson. He doesn't quite pull off the Woody Allen obviously self-reflecting protagonist. (this one is a screenwriter that's tired of cliched Hollywood plots. Where are you Woody Allen? You've hidden so well, this is clearly not a version of you.) I also didn't really buy that Owen Wilson and Rachel MacAdams would ever make it all the way to engagement.

Still, a charming little film, and well worth it to see Adrian Brodyquest as Salvador Dali.

[MrHoatzin]

I thoroughly enjoyed the Rise of the Planet of the Apes *. It manages to strike a kind of happy place between an earnest sci-fi film (like Gattaca or Moon), a cheesy retro cliché romp (like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and a trippy surrealist adventure film (The New World meets Pirates of the Caribbean meets Avatar—for better or for worse).

* Tups represent semi-binary** reviews of adjacent movies.

** Semibinary™ .

[elmuerte]

I saw Fast Five, or The F5st and The F5rious 5. What a dumb movie. I think I actually got even dumber than I already was by watching that movie. But it does have some enjoyable action. Vin Diesel vs Dwane Johnsen was but should have been a different movie.

[Thyroid]

Can anyone recommend a really funny movie? I could use it.

If it helps with the recommendations, some favourites of mine include This Is Spın̈al Tap, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, anything by the Coens and Withnail & I. I also love the UK version of The Office, Extras and all the classic stuff, like Fawlty Towers.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Can anyone recommend a really funny movie? I could use it.

If it helps with the recommendations, some favourites of mine include This Is Spın̈al Tap, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, anything by the Coens and Withnail & I. I also love the UK version of The Office, Extras and all the classic stuff, like Fawlty Towers.

I'm sure there's got to be plenty to choose from. I love all those examples as well. Hmm. *mind goes blank*

Have you seen the Larry Sanders show? That's a great TV show in the same vein as a lot of the above (The Office, Spinal Tap, Fawlty Towers). The Big Lebowski is also great, but most people find it more funny on the second or third viewing (like Spinal Tap).

You seem to like British humour, so I take it you've seen the Monty Python movies?

Anchorman is great fun if you're in the mood for something zany (it can grate if you're not). Blazing Saddles is pretty damned funny if you like Mel Brooks (and are aware of the clean-cut Western tropes like

it spoofs). (I also have a soft-spot for The Producers -- Gene Wilder is great.)

If you feel like something older and more "classic", Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot with Jack Lemmon is great fun.

Um, I now realise I'm pretty crap at recommending things... but I've already written all this, so it'll have to do. Good luck

[Thyroid]

Don't worry, I wrote down all your recommendations for my next visit to the DVD shop! So thank you, Thunderpeel!

I've actually seen The Big Lebowski several times, and yes: it is indeed a very funny movie. As are all Coen Brothers films, or at least the bunch I've seen.

Also, we talked about Life of Brian, once, you and I. I like it, but I don't think it stacks up against, say, Spinal Tap.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Don't worry, I wrote down all your recommendations for my next visit to the DVD shop! So thank you, Thunderpeel!

I've actually seen The Big Lebowski several times, and yes: it is indeed a very funny movie. As are all Coen Brothers films, or at least the bunch I've seen.

Also, we talked about Life of Brian, once, you and I. I like it, but I don't think it stacks up against, say, Spinal Tap.

Huh. Looks like I dropped the ball twice. You mentioned the Coens in your original post - doh - and I'd forgotten about our brief exchange. (Not sure why I thought your movie taste is weird -- I love all the things you've listed.) I think the Holy Grail is probably more fun than Life of Brian, but if you don't click with Monty Python humour it's not going to convert you.

[miffy495]

Man, I was actually going to say Anchorman. My brain knows that it's amazingly stupid, but for whatever reason it remains one of my favourite movies ever. I can't see it without cracking the biggest grin. Look into it.

[MrHoatzin]

I'm just going to join everyone here in praising Anchorman. I walked out of the theater when I first saw it with something resembling a revelation, as if I had seen something completely new. There has been a fair number of somewhat similar comedies since Anchorman, so maybe its novelty has worn off a bit.