Movie/TV recommendations

[RubixsQube]

Roderick,

 

Yeah, it was a thing with Spielberg and Jonathan Nolan, and then Spielberg backed out and Chris stepped in.

 

More thoughts:

 

The more that I think about the film, the more I sour on it, which is disappointing, since it did have some real moments of transcendence. I have been waiting to see a rotating, Rama-esque space station depicted well in film for years and years, and it was pretty to see on the big screen, even if for a moment. Similarly, the depiction of the black hole's warping light was accurate, even if the dual accretion disk bullshit was not. Also, actually, here's something interesting about the inside of a black hole that I was thinking about when I was watching. So, there's no way anyone or anything could survive the tidal forces and sheer energies involved as you fall into a black hole. Not going to happen. Also, falling into a black hole is a very quick process for you, and for anyone outside the event horizon, they just see your clock slow to nothing as your signal is gravitationally redshifted away to longer and longer wavelengths.

 

But let's suppose Cooper did make it inside the black hole, and survived. 

 

In normal space, we have the ability to move about in three dimensions, while we are forced to only move in one direction (forward), in time. Again, just to let it sink in, in normal space, we have free reign of motion in three dimensions, but are limited to constantly moving forward in time. As you approach the event horizon of a black hole, Einstein general relativity says that time, for you, slows down (as compared to someone well away from the event horizon). At the event horizon proper, time stops, which is where the name comes from. On the other side of the event horizon...well, we don't really know what could happen, because a lot of important physics equations end up having divide-by-zero errors. But as far as we can tell, suddenly the idea I described above is flipped. You are constantly forced to move forward in one physical dimension (down, pulled by gravity towards the singularity), but you can suddenly move whenever you want in time. Now, I don't know what this means, it's just a fun gedanken, but I think that Chris Nolan posits that this allows you to fumble around in your daughter's bedroom for a while knocking books about and fiddling with watch second hands. I guess he undercut that idea by saying that it is us as five-dimensional evolved superhumans who were doing this, but I like to think that he was having lofty thoughts about black hole interiors.

[Bolegium]

Spielberg was the "original" director of Interstellar, Jonathan Nolan was hired as the writer and recommended his brother for the director position when Spielberg left the project. I haven't seen the movie yet, and still haven't decided if I want to support it. It might be an unpopular opinion but I think Nolan's work has declined in quality since he started getting big Hollywood budgets. Spectacle is great and all, but it's not why I want to watch a Nolan movie. It's a shame because the idea of big budget Nolan movies sounded great around the time of The Prestige, and now it feels like he just does adverts for IMAX.

[Erkki]

People seem rather stoked about the Hobbit trailer but I don't really understand why. It barely even features THE HOBBIT.

[Ozzie]

I like Interstellar. It's a mess, yes, and the first half hour is boring. Actually, all the earth stuff is boring and the characters are two-dimensional (barely), but the movie has many beautiful and powerful scenes. When the characters don't say more than necessary and scenes in space and on foreign planets are shown, the movie shows its strengths. But by gosh, they could have cut down on some stuff. Some plot developments were rather superfluous and/or silly, for sure. Sometimes I wasn't sure what the movie was going for.

[Brannigan]

Interstellar:

 

http://video.wired.com/watch/exclusive-the-science-of-interstellar-wired

Of course I know nothing really, but that's a video of them talking about the depiction of the black hole a little bit

[namman siggins]

Spielberg was the "original" director of Interstellar, Jonathan Nolan was hired as the writer and recommended his brother for the director position when Spielberg left the project. I haven't seen the movie yet, and still haven't decided if I want to support it. It might be an unpopular opinion but I think Nolan's work has declined in quality since he started getting big Hollywood budgets. Spectacle is great and all, but it's not why I want to watch a Nolan movie. It's a shame because the idea of big budget Nolan movies sounded great around the time of The Prestige, and now it feels like he just does adverts for IMAX.

You're right.

His decline started with Inception and it's been downhill ever since; I'd say he and Fincher's work, while beautiful to look at and technically great, really haven't been up to par with their earlier work. I hate to sound like that person, but I think it's true,

I'm still going to see Interstellary because I love me some visually beautiful films, but I don't want to deal with the story; maybe, I'll bring my headphones and just take it all in visually.

[Bjorn]

So a group of like 10 of us were going to see Interstellar for a friend's birthday today.  Only the birthday boy and his wife bought tickets early, the rest of us figured it was a Saturday afternoon and there was no need.  Got to the theater 40 minutes early and it was totally sold out.  So we all went to see Big Hero 6 instead, while he and his wife went to Insterstellar.  We are the worst friends. 

 

 

BH6 was tons of fun though!

[Twig]

Let's get into some serious shit here.

 

I love Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, but this season has been pretty shit overall. I don't know. I'm watching the latest episode now. Please be better.

[Brannigan]

You're right.

His decline started with Inception and it's been downhill ever since; I'd say he and Fincher's work, while beautiful to look at and technically great, really haven't been up to par with their earlier work. I hate to sound like that person, but I think it's true,

I'm still going to see Interstellary because I love me some visually beautiful films, but I don't want to deal with the story; maybe, I'll bring my headphones and just take it all in visually.

eh just watch it...it's not insufferable or anything.  I enjoyed it

[Roderick]

This season of Dr. Who had its ups and downs, but I enjoyed it all the way through. And the ending two-parter was pretty good! Missy Poppins and Dr. President, more of that please! (Like, a whole season.)

[Merus]

I had heard comparisons of Interstellar and Prometheus going in.

 

I did not hate Interstellar coming out nearly as much. A lot of things bothered me about it, and I could have done without it wrapping everything up in a neat little bow, but at least its story fundamentally worked.

[JonCole]

I actually really liked Prometheus.

 

[brkl]

Guh, as soon as UNIT is mentioned, there's no way it's not going to suck.

[Twig]

I felt UNIT played a pretty small part in this episode (besides the initial setup I guess) and I liked the bit at the end. I've actually seen all the old Doctor Who episodes, so that

salute

really did it for me. Agreed that they usually just get in the way these days, though.

 

This season of Dr. Who had its ups and downs, but I enjoyed it all the way through. And the ending two-parter was pretty good! Missy Poppins and Dr. President, more of that please! (Like, a whole season.)

After my post I realized I'd just been doing the human tendency I hate most - focusing on the bad and letting it ruin the good. You're right that it's had its ups and downs. I'd say it's probably about half and half for me, in terms of good vs. bad. Agreed that the ending two-parter was great.

 

I do really like Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.

 

ending thing

Is she really just gonna die like that, though? Like wow what an anti-climactic death for the Master. I'm sure they'll find a way to bring him/her back, though.

 

Loved the after-credits teaser, though. The Doctor's expression. Heee.

[miffy495]

I just saw The Skeleton Twins. That movie is fucking fantastic. It is perfectly cast, heartbreaking, and so funny in some parts that I was crying. Without saying any more, that movie may be one of the best things I've seen this year. Check it out.

[Roderick]

Twig,

and Nick Frost as Santa, that made me laugh! I really don't think The Mistress is dead, that'd be a waste of setting her up for more than a whole season. I bet the Missy that got pulverized was some digital version or somethingarather, since she was constantly interesting with an AI inside a weird cyberspace underworld. They'll figure it out. No way she's gone. She'd better not! The chemistry between her and the Doctor, especially now there's a tangible sexual/romantic thing between them...!

[Twig]

Yeah

I don't think she's dead either. If nothing else, precisely because it was so anti-climactic. Agreed, there's a really great dynamic between the two, now. I've always liked the Master, and this is just a further extension of that. A++++++++ or whatever.

 

I also like that Clara mentioned all the children the Doctor has had (as well as the lady-clone), because it means they haven't forgotten. I'd like to see more of those good ol' Time Lords.

 

Something that stood out to me, though: didn't the Doctor decide to intentionally keep Gallifrey from coming back into this dimension because of the whole Time War still going on? Why would he just suddenly believe oh maybe they found their way back and everything's perfect now. Well, maybe he didn't believe, but the show presented it in such a way that there would be no real baggage. Was weird.

 

Doctor Who Lore, hurray.

[Nachimir]

People seem rather stoked about the Hobbit trailer but I don't really understand why. It barely even features THE HOBBIT.

Ditto. All I could think was "That's not he Hobbit, it's the Hobbit turned into epic hollywood bollocks". I realise they've rolled in bits of the Silmarillion, but even after watching the first one I was hoping for more personal storytelling in the same world.

Doctor Who:

 

Let's get into some serious shit here.

 

I love Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, but this season has been pretty shit overall. I don't know. I'm watching the latest episode now. Please be better.

This season of Dr. Who had its ups and downs, but I enjoyed it all the way through.

 

 

(Not attacking you Twig, you just reminded me of this).

 

I have a lot of friends who perpetually express disappointment with Doctor Who, and have done pretty much since Matt Smith's run started. It baffles me; like which bit of it was ever not hokey, not fluffy and sentimental, not aimed at kids, or made absolute sense? It kind of reminds me of gamers decrying games for "not being realistic enough".

 

I mostly enjoyed this run, especially the antagonistic relationship between Clara and The Doctor. It still has some Moffatt bollocks, but Capaldi chased away any hint of romance between the Doctor and assistants, and the writing feels a lot less infatuated with the characters.

also, we've all seen this article, yes?

http://usvsth3m.com/post/16-confusing-feelings-that-doctor-who-fans-have-had-about-the-latest-plot-twist

If the Doctor regenerated into a woman, would he change his name to The Nurse?

No. Because a woman doctor is called ‘a doctor’.

[Apelsin]

I've been binging on Netflix quite a bit lately, so here comes a recommendation:

 

The Killing (Warning! long trailer which may show a bit too much)

 

A crime drama based on the Danish series, Forbrydelsen, The Killing follows the investigation and occurrences surrounding the murder of a young woman in Seattle. While entirely dissimilar in tone, I was surprised to find some story bits which really reminded me of Twin Peaks. Especially in the first episode.

I find it quite well written, well acted (though the accent on Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman sometimes sounds a bit too Swedish to me) and intriguing. I do have some concerns regarding the series, but realized that I can't share those without spoiling the events of the first season finale. 

 

Also worth noting that the series sports a great female lead in Detective Sarah Linden, portrayed by Mireille Enos.

[Twig]

Doctor Who:

 

 

 

(Not attacking you Twig, you just reminded me of this).

 

I have a lot of friends who perpetually express disappointment with Doctor Who, and have done pretty much since Matt Smith's run started. It baffles me; like which bit of it was ever not hokey, not fluffy and sentimental, not aimed at kids, or made absolute sense? It kind of reminds me of gamers decrying games for "not being realistic enough".

 

I mostly enjoyed this run, especially the antagonistic relationship between Clara and The Doctor. It still has some Moffatt bollocks, but Capaldi chased away any hint of romance between the Doctor and assistants, and the writing feels a lot less infatuated with the characters.

also, we've all seen this article, yes?

http://usvsth3m.com/post/16-confusing-feelings-that-doctor-who-fans-have-had-about-the-latest-plot-twist

In general, I've loved Doctor Who unequivocally where a lot of people who also purport to love Doctor Who express a great amount of negativity. Maybe I'm "outgrowing" it, or at least growing tired of it? That's entirely possible. Matt Smith is my favorite modern Doctor. Eccleston may have been if he'd lasted more than a season, but he sort of came and went very quickly. (It didn't help that I binged that season, as I started watching halfway through the Tennant stuff.)

 

I agree with you that it's not like it's done anything different this season, or during the Matt Smith run, or whatever. I can't really pinpoint a general shift in tone that I dislike, but I can give at least one specific example. That episode with the stupid kids in the stupid magical forested London was stupid and stupid. That I hate most kid actors probably has something to do it, and she was particularly annoying with her awkward hand-waving stupid stupid it looked like she was trying to do some weird kid dance rather than actually swat away tiny glowing bugs.

 

Um. I guess I just hated that episode a lot. (I also hated the episode with that girl from Clara's school. She kept whining I WANT TO GO HOME which I mean sure is a reasonable response to having your life threatened but STILL YOU'RE ON THE MOON, GIRL, HAVE SOME FUN. (Also how did a giant moon creature hatch from an egg the size of the moon and then lay an egg the size of the moon. (Also how did it increase in mass. It wasn't eating anything. You can't convert non-mass to mass. (Okay I know I'm just being silly here, this is all typical Doctor Who nonsense, but it's fun to be nitpicky. (And to nest an egregious amount of parentheticals.)))))

 

I mean like I keep saying, I love Capaldi. He's great! I just let a few shitty things affect my overall judgment. Which I normally try not to do, but failed this time. My opinion has amended itself.

 

On another note,

what about future Danny guy and now Danny's dead and c'mon. I can only assume they won't let Clara storyline end on that super sour note, so I'm sure she's coming back either during or after the Christmas episode, right?

[Nachimir]

I loved Matt Smith in the role, but hated the writing he was given. I think "Let's Kill Hitler" might have been the worst in respect of "Ooh! Whee! What do you mean plot? Who needs plot or pacing or anything else when you have all these loveable characters doing stuff? Wahey!", but there were plenty. Especially all of the ones Moffat wrapped up with "women are magic", he relied on it so much that if it made any sense as a concept it might have become a trope.

 

On another note,

what about future Danny guy and now Danny's dead and c'mon. I can only assume they won't let Clara storyline end on that super sour note, so I'm sure she's coming back either during or after the Christmas episode, right?

 

Oh, I'd forgotten about that.

Well he still exists somewhere, so yeah I guess you're right

[Twig]

Haha, I confess to liking "Let's Kill Hitler" precisely because it was so stupid.

 

I'd be glad to see Moffat go away, though. He's responsible for some of my favorite episodes, but, man, let someone else take over, geez.

[Erkki]

I watched Cría Cuervos and it was rather good. Should watch more Spanish movies to help with learning the language.

[syntheticgerbil]

Also worth noting that the series sports a great female lead in Detective Sarah Linden, portrayed by Mireille Enos.

I don't know what to think of The Killing. It kept going up and down between a CSI type sleaze or a slow paced but interesting crime drama. There were times where I couldn't help but bingewatch all of it, but some of the links were ridiculously stupid or ill thought out. I still don't even know why we watched a bunch of nonsense with this halfwit drooling girl Lyric in season 3 when it had no influence on any of the main characters or even the case. It was more useless than the weird slow moving plots involving Rosie's mom hanging around at hotels and sleeping with random men in the second season. It's like sometimes the writers created plot threads but whatever was supposed to ultimately happen with that story element was nixed.

 

Ultimately I wouldn't recommend it because the show starts to become full of obvious red herrings in all cases except the final one and sometimes the show is a bit gross on how intent it is on having a show where all young women/girls are victims to maybe an extreme degree.

 

Definitely the high point of the series were just the well written two main detectives. Linden and Holder were perfectly acted and always believable to me. Their reactions were part of what made it so interesting. The fourth and final season's case is also absurdly idiotic and the final ending is a cop out. So ultimately, I don't like The Killing I suppose.

[Bolegium]

Decided to see interstellar. Found most of the movie boring, being 'bad' in interesting ways would have been preferable. Feels like a bioshock infinite situation where I can see the ambition behind it, and feel confused by the praise it's getting. Interested to see film crit hulk's take on it.