Movie/TV recommendations

[toblix]

I thought the most awesome thing in the last episode (not counting Dichen Lachman) was the little head shake thing at the end.

[DanJW]

Yeah Toblix, so far my favourite bit is the little shoulder-punch from the end of episode two, which illustrates the same thing: that the tabula rasas aren't as blank as the dollhouse puppeteers think.

But so far the metaplot is going agonizingly slowly.

[brkl]

Saw the Watchmen. It's good. Surprised me.

[Wrestlevania]

Watched episode 3 of Dollhouse tonight; really quite poor. Struggled to pay attention after the first 20 minutes or so, but hoping tonight's episode will be better.

[brkl]

Oh yeah, I saw the first actual episode of Being Human. Poor. The actors had great chemistry in the pilot, but none at all in this one (because two were replaced).

[Ben X]

Oh yeah, I saw the first actual episode of Being Human. Poor. The actors had great chemistry in the pilot, but none at all in this one (because two were replaced).

Apparently it got much better in the second half of the series, but I can't bring myself to catch up on iplayer.

[SignorSuperdouche]

It's good to know that people seem to be enjoying Watchmen. I've been swinging pendulously between being super excited and thinking it'll be shit and preparing myself for complete disappointment.

Dollhouse is getting better, but it's also getting worse. Episode four was half pretty good and half annoying as hell, not least of all because it was suggested in a conversation that multiple firewalls makes a system safer, which is a pet hate of mine. Fortunately virtually all the stuff I found annoying was episode specific and it was the overall story parts that I found enjoyable so I'm not giving up on it just yet.

Something else I've been watching recently is the BBC adaptation Gormenghast from 10 or so years ago which I strongly recommend. It's delightfully self indulgent with all the actors hamming it up to the best of their ability. I found a couple of clips on you tube which convey only a small part of the series as a whole, but are some of my favourite bits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZaXDfrE9A

[brkl]

I liked that as a kid (it's been 10 years already?), but I never read the book.

Also, Dollhouse... More of the same I'd say. Still entertaining enough to watch, but eh...

[Nachimir]

Watchmen: :tup::tup:

I enjoyed it a lot, though structurally it's more like a compressed miniseries than a film. As a result, it was tiring but very, very well executed. The acting is top notch, visuals are great, most of the plot intact.

I also liked

the slightly tweaked ending, it seemed more elegant in terms of articulating the character's different outlooks, particularly emphasising Dr. Manhattan's detachment, and it was also less cheesy than the alien invasion fakery in the book, IMO.

and

Rorschach had the best line in the film: "You don't get it! I'm not locked in here with you! You're all locked in here with me!"

[Horticulture Tycoon]

Watchmen: :tup::tup:

I enjoyed it a lot, though structurally it's more like a compressed miniseries than a film. As a result, it was tiring but very, very well executed. The acting is top notch, visuals are great, most of the plot intact.

I also liked

the slightly tweaked ending, it seemed more elegant in terms of articulating the character's different outlooks, particularly emphasising Dr. Manhattan's detachment, and it was also less cheesy than the alien invasion fakery in the book, IMO.

and

Rorschach had the best line in the film: "You don't get it! I'm not locked in here with you! You're all locked in here with me!"

Agreed, especially about the ending. Also I thought it had one of the greatest title sequences I've ever seen.

[nsps]

Watched episode 3 of Dollhouse tonight; really quite poor. Struggled to pay attention after the first 20 minutes or so, but hoping tonight's episode will be better.

I just found the pilot of Dollhouse dull as hell, and haven't watched the other episodes on my DVR. It's funny because even when I didn't love Whedon's past shows, I certainly wouldn't call them dull.

[Wrestlevania]

I just found the pilot of Dollhouse dull as hell, and haven't watched the other episodes on my DVR. It's funny because even when I didn't love Whedon's past shows, I certainly wouldn't call them dull.

To reiterate what I said about the latest episode on Twitter, episode 4 basically confirms that Dushku simply can't act -- not beyond "sassy high school brat" anyway. As a result, the premise of Dollhouse - for me - is rapidly disintegrating.

But then I had absolutely no interest in Buffy or any of its spin-offs either.

[brkl]

What? How does it confirm that? She didn't write the episode. I'd be annoyed at Whedon for creating a series which would allow her to have a completely different character each episode, only to not make use of that. It's a... theoretically challenging role.

[Wrestlevania]

It's not challenging when you play the same role in different clothes every time though, is it? That's my point: the premise is that Echo can be anyone as required. Dushku can't portray this though -- she's the same snot-nosed, hip-throwing, hand-flinging, head-cocking spoilt kid every single time.

The only other discernible character she seems capable of is "wiped" Echo. Which requires sitting as still as possible and speaking in a quiet voice. You can virtually see her chanting "don't do what you normally do!" furiously over and over in her head.

There's no suspension of disbelief that she's doing anything other than speaking lines; it's rote and boring.

[SignorSuperdouche]

I'm with Wrestle on this. Whedon seems to be a very poor judge of acting ability, particularly when it comes to young women. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Eliza Dusku, Michelle Trachtenberg, Morena Baccarin, Charisma Carpenter - all fucking terrible actresses, all given large roles.

[DanJW]

But he did discover Summer Glau, and for that all is forgiven.

I thought the first episode's icy 'negotiator' was the furthest Duschu has stretched her range so far. Other than that, yeah, she does seem to only have two personality types to portray. Perhaps they will challenge her more as the series progresses.

[ysbreker]

I just rewatched quantum of solace. And I think it's one of the best Bond movies ever made. There, I said it. All you Quantum of Solace haters can flame all you want. I still think it's a great movie . I can't wait for the next Bond movie.

[Wrestlevania]

I just rewatched quantum of solace. And I think it's one of the best Bond movies ever made. There, I said it. All you Quantum of Solace haters can flame all you want. I still think it's a great movie . I can't wait for the next Bond movie.

That reminds me: I need to watch this again, as I loved Casino Royale and really wanted to like Quantum of Solace. But it just didn't do anything for me the first time around.

[Thrik]

I just rewatched quantum of solace. And I think it's one of the best Bond movies ever made. There, I said it. All you Quantum of Solace haters can flame all you want. I still think it's a great movie . I can't wait for the next Bond movie.

[brkl]

Ehh.. Do I have to just repeat my previous post? She's not the screenwriter or the director.

EDIT: In reply to Wrestle on the last page.

[ThunderPeel2001]

I'm with Wrestle on this. Whedon seems to be a very poor judge of acting ability, particularly when it comes to young women. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Eliza Dusku, Michelle Trachtenberg, Morena Baccarin, Charisma Carpenter - all fucking terrible actresses, all given large roles.

Just fuck off now. Seriously.

While I'd agree that there's times when Whedon can sometimes see things in actors that the rest of us miss (I can't see Nathan Fillion as a bad-ass, I just can't -- and I love Firefly, too) all those actresses did fantastic jobs in their respective roles in Buffy and Angel. Outside of those roles... I actually have no idea (never seen them in anything else).

Anyway, forgetting Whedon for a moment (and my own recent discovery, and subsequent delight, of Buffy/Angel), I can tell you something: Some directors and writers cannot handle actors/write rounded characters for shit (eg. George Lucas), whereas some can get a perfectly brilliant performance from anyone (eg. David Lynch).

Basically, just because you've got an asshole boss who doesn't know how to get the best out of you, doesn't mean you're shit at your job.

[DanJW]

Watchmen

It was good. Not great, or brilliant, but perfectly good. I appreciate how closely they stuck to the book, and one could argue that any failings are because the book was written for the comic book medium specifically and not for cinema.

The Rorschach segments were spot-on, absolutely brilliant. Jackie Earle Haley gave the best performance of the movie. The Comedian was also portrayed especially well by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Even Night Owl II was impressively close to his comic book counterpart. The female characters struggled the most, I felt. Doctor Manhattan, a difficult character to portray, was maybe a little too devoid of emotion (probably because his back story was cut so short).

The new ending was acceptable, and probably the best choice in the face of the the cheesiness that would have been inevitable with the original one.

My only real complaint was that some moments fell very flat (the audience in the theatre laughed a lot at the romantic scenes, a bit too much then was necessary perhaps, the fucks) and some of the symbolism was hammered over the head in case you didn't get it.

Also, after 300, I was expecting bolder visual direction. The camera work is overall incredibly conventional.

The choice of soundtrack, although not always fitting exactly, does a very good job of placing the setting in the mid-80s

So in the end I liked it, which is kind of relieving considering the immense expectations; but there was still something mssing, even if I'm not sure exactly what. Perhaps the special DVD, with The Black Freighter integrated into the narrative, will plug some gaps.

One out of an unspecified amount.

[Scrobbs]

It's interesting what you say about Jon's background... Someone who was unfamiliar with the source has said that was too long!

[nsps]

Watchmen

It was good. Not great, or brilliant, but perfectly good. I appreciate how closely they stuck to the book, and one could argue that any failings are because the book was written for the comic book medium specifically and not for cinema.

Ah, but the job of an adapter isn't too replicate the source regardless of whether it will work on film, but to translate its essence into the new medium. I actually thought that there were elements of the adaptation that were quite good. I enjoyed parts of it, but ultimately felt it failed in tone and style. But it was definitely an interesting enough movie to ramble about for way too long.

[Thrik]

I must warn against watching the series on FX—presumably with the dialogue and footage censored and 15 minutes cut from each episode (unless they show it in 90 minute schedule blocks instead of an hour). It's a great show, and is worth watching unedited on DVD .

It was shot in 4:3 because the creators decided to keep it in that aspect reason for the whole series because David Simon thought it was more real or something. Even odder, they never converted the production to HD, even though it was shot on film.

The first episode didn't seem to be cut in any way. It was absolutely packed with swearing, and it ran for a constant 60 minutes without ads.