Movie/TV recommendations

[MrHoatzin]

Or does it?

To tell you the truth, I'll probably check out Antichrist, mainly because it is so wonderfully photographed, but I have really no expectations for it one way or another.

[Kolzig]

'Lo fellow 'Peans, I just had Alfred J. Kwak pop into my head. I recall really digging the show when I was a wee one, but there is no way in hell I will be able to find it anywhere in the States. Was the show any good, or was I a dumb kid for liking it?

Now I'm quoting this a bit late, but I think that at least in Finland they recently released the whole show on dvd. I think there was other languages than the Finnish dub also there.

Alfred J. Kwak was a really weird show, started of completely normally like any kids show, but then turned really strange when the main character went on his adventure. Wasn't there nazi references with the black crow character and all that or was I imagining it all when I was a kid?

They are actually showing the show again in Finnish tv on sunday mornings I think. I actually watched some episodes from the beginning when I happened to wake up at the right time.

Just saw Point Break for the first time... that movie is insane. For hilarious Keanu Reeves and completely illogical/badass Patrick Swayze, there's no better film.

That sure is an insane movie. When I was about 20 years old I bought it on dvd watched it many times back then. I rewatched it in a sort of tribute after Swayze passed away.

So weirdly insane movie, but that's what you get when you have Keanu "whoa!?" Reeves and Gary Busey in the same movie plus heartthrob Swayze as the bad guy.

I was really disappointed to hear that Dollhouse got the axe like all Whedon's shows under Fox have received the same treatment. A really promising tv series that started to show it's potential at the end of 1st season and especially now during the second season.

Does anyone have thoughts on Paranormal Activity, is it any good? I'm going to go check it later tonight.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Kolzig

[miffy495]

I had a friend tell me it scared the shit out of him. Note, this is not me. I have not seen it. Don't hate me if it sucks.

[Garple]

On an unrelated note, Lars von Trier is a hack.

Carry on.

Shut up, ya poop. He made Dogville. Dogville!

[brkl]

The new Doctor Who special was craaaap. It had material for one crappish episode, but was twice as long. I can't wait for Moffat to be in the reins. At least I can hope the series will be better.

Just one overblown special to go!

[DanJW]

Yes! Thankyou! I can't understand the British critics wankfest that is Doctor Who praise. It sucks. The script sucks. The ideas suck. The acting mostly sucks, but has occasional non-suck high points. The camera work especially sucks.

The whole thing feels like watching a televised am-dram play written by kitchen-sink EastEnders-raised dramatists who once had science fiction described to them by a distant relative.

Edited November 17, 2009 by DanJW

[SignorSuperdouche]

Oh god and all the pointless, time wasting running. If you played all the footage of David Tennant running end to end it would last longer than the age of the universe.

[Scrobbs]

The director of Glorious 39 was on Radio 4 last night. Not seen it, but the film sounds rather interesting.

[Kolzig]

I had a friend tell me it scared the shit out of him. Note, this is not me. I have not seen it. Don't hate me if it sucks.

It didn't suck. It was quite good horror movie actually!

Not that many horror movies are like that these days...

[brkl]

Hey, I'm a fan of Doctor Who, and especially Tennant as the Doctor. But it's grown really stale lately, and the new specials have all been like season finales -- generally just overblown and badly handled. The guy who is taking over, Moffat, was the same guy who wrote most of the best episodes of the new Who, so hopefully the series'll pick up next season.

[DanJW]

I do like Tennant as The Doctor, but he's one of the few things I like about the show. Actually the casting is generally quite good, but I don't like the melodramatic lines so often fed to those actors.

(as an example, I thought Lindsay Duncan was nicely understated but when she came out with the line "Damn You!" I burst out laughing and said "fuck off").

[brkl]

Yes :x *sigh*

[Ben X]

And when the Doctor said outloud to himself "HAVE I GONE TOO FAR?" - ooh, dreadful. On a par with Magneto in X-M3n asking himself "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

[Roderick]

X-Men 3 was the Citizen Kane of Citizen Kane.

[Scrobbs]

Bit of a strange one this... Was knackered after work, and I put, "How to look good naked" on. I thought it was a rather good program - mainly because of Gok Wan. He's such a good presenter, bullish and enthusiastic without being over bearing, and seems a genuinely nice bloke. Quite refreshing telly really.

Also, the new Ray Mears series, "Northern Wilderness". Ep1 is still on iPlayer.

[ThunderPeel2001]

X-Men 3 was the Citizen Kane of Citizen Kane.

Citizen Kane is the Citizen Kane of movies.

[Ben X]

Bit of a strange one this... Was knackered after work, and I put, "How to look good naked" on. I thought it was a rather good program - mainly because of Gok Wan. He's such a good presenter, bullish and enthusiastic without being over bearing, and seems a genuinely nice bloke. Quite refreshing telly really.

Sorry to be all grumpysocks, but I hate Gok Wan. He's a self-promoting creepy weirdo, who reels out meaningless platitudes about confidence and loving your body, then puts women in 'magic underwear' (ie soft girdles) and puts them in dreadful outfits while lying to them about how beautiful they are and hinging the whole thing on strangers' approval. I think he's harmful and aggravating.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Sorry to be all grumpysocks, but I hate Gok Wan. He's a self-promoting creepy weirdo, who reels out meaningless platitudes about confidence and loving your body, then puts women in 'magic underwear' (ie soft girdles) and puts them in dreadful outfits while lying to them about how beautiful they are and hinging the whole thing on strangers' approval. I think he's harmful and aggravating.

To suddenly flip things back, I'd have to say that I totally disagree and think he's actually doing a lot of good. So many women have poor self-images, when they really don't need to.

[Scrobbs]

Not thought about it like that. Even if that is the case, the positivity gained from showing the larger lady how to feel better about herself is really good, as the rest of the media is basically telling them that skinny is the only way to be, and that you are ugly if not perfect.

[UncleSpaggles]

The bigger the cushion the harder the pushing?

[Ben X]

But he doesn't help with their self-images! He puts them in bad clothing that doesn't suit them and they're not comfortable with, puts them in magic underwear to hide their body shape instead of accepting it and tells ugly women that they're beautiful. Then he gets them to flash a bit of arse in a shopping centre. I seriously doubt that any of the women he meets for two days feel any better about themselves; most of them seem to get more depressed and uncomfortable as the show goes on.

[Nachimir]

One bit of it I saw was a little disturbing and contradictory, in that he basically got a supermodel in full makeup to sit with women in front of a mirror, telling them they were beautiful without their makeup on.

[ThunderPeel2001]

But he doesn't help with their self-images! He puts them in bad clothing that doesn't suit them and they're not comfortable with, puts them in magic underwear to hide their body shape instead of accepting it and tells ugly women that they're beautiful. Then he gets them to flash a bit of arse in a shopping centre. I seriously doubt that any of the women he meets for two days feel any better about themselves; most of them seem to get more depressed and uncomfortable as the show goes on.

Hmmm... Maybe you just saw a bad episode or something?

[Scrobbs]

The one I saw above, he made her look really good, and she got heaps more confidence, which stayed a few months down the line. If the magic underwear makes them feel better, then it's worked hasn't it? How you get there doesn't matter, but if they end up feeling good about themselves (and it sticks), I don't see the problem.

[SignorSuperdouche]

The one I saw above, he made her look really good, and she got heaps more confidence, which stayed a few months down the line. If the magic underwear makes them feel better, then it's worked hasn't it? How you get there doesn't matter, but if they end up feeling good about themselves (and it sticks), I don't see the problem.

I haven't seen the show (hadn't heard of it till you mentioned it actually) so I may have got the wrong idea here, but here's the problem I'm seeing:

Telling people they are beautiful when they are not is counter productive. This perpetuates the idea that beauty is the be all and end all and will only ever end in tears for the vast majority people. What you should be saying is that not being beautiful is OK. Most people aren't beautiful, if they were it would just be called being normal.

As I say I haven't seen the show, this is just my impression of it, so I could be way off base here.