ysbreker

Movie/TV recommendations

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No, absolutely no animation is up to my high standards.

(Seriously though, I think a few pages back in this very thread I recommended quite a lot, unless it was just some good anime. I don't really want to list all of the animation, animators, and artists I like, because it'll turn into me boasting and rambling.)

Just name five animated films that you consider to meet your standards. Pretty easy, and without the need for any rambling or boasting.

You've already said that you don't think Pixar or Miyazaki are good enough, I'm intrigued to hear who think are.

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Just saw Top Hat on Turner Classic Movies. It's amazing how well most of the comedy still works after all these years. And I learned about my self that I can appreciate the hell out of some good tapdancin' so, win-win.

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I was struggling. I think I felt depressed during the entire first time of watching it. :mock:

I would like to NOT recommend something: Gamer. That movie is one of the saddest things I have seen in a long time. Gah!

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I was really looking forward to that movie, but everyone told me the ending killed it. Should give it a go and see for myself, I guess.

It's pulp sci-fi, knows it and plays to it well in my opinion. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. I think discrediting it because of its ending suggests to me people walked in expecting something introspective like Moon and not thrilling like Event Horizon.

So, I'd say if you didn't like Event Horizon you may well not enjoy Sunshine. I loved Event Horizon though, so, meh...

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Huh, I'd say it pretended to be something else for a good 70% of the film or so, until they ran out of ideas.

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Huh, I'd say it pretended to be something else for a good 70% of the film or so, until they ran out of ideas.

Fair enough.

Maybe I simply watched it with no expectations (for once!) and just let it lead me wherever it wanted to go. :blink:

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The ending doesn't kill it, but it was disappointing they went down that route on the first viewing. I must have watched it a billion times since so it's obviously not got in the way of my appreciation, but then I also happen to like Event Horizon, so yeah...

I'd watch it in HD if you can.

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I would like to NOT recommend something: Gamer. That movie is one of the saddest things I have seen in a long time. Gah!

Can you at least agree that Michael C. Hall was amazing in it? I have the biggest mancrush on that guy; I could watch Dexter over and over again for the rest of my life.

Also, I'm too lazy to dig through all the old pages that I missed but I definitely recommend Fringe. It's like mixing the episodic nature of Lost with the sci-fi variety of X-Files and adding some JJ Abrams Star Trek action for spice.

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Can you at least agree that Michael C. Hall was amazing in it? I have the biggest mancrush on that guy; I could watch Dexter over and over again for the rest of my life.

He was the best thing in the movie, to be honest. so yes. Although I have to admit that I really like watching Gerard Butler on-screen as well.

Edited by PiratePooAndHisBattleship

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Yesterday I watched UP, and I am 100% with Syntheticgerbil on this one. What a disappointing movie. It was like Pixar suddenly forget how to make things awesome.

The very realistically rendered dogs didn't match the nicely caricatural Carl at all, besides being not at all funny. I mean, it was more 'Bee Movie' material, you know? I also disliked the setting, and the jokes, and the stupid bird... what the hell? What happened? Is this the same company that made Nemo and Incredibles?

For the record, I am all for movies starring older people. In fact, I usually love it all the more. The Life Aquatic, with its midlife crisis theme, wow. Gran Torino? Excellent. Apt Pupil, etc etc. But there was something severely wrong with Up, and I can't put my finger on it. It felt like a slog and I had to drag myself through the whole movie. That shouldn't happen.

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What a disappointing movie. It was like Pixar suddenly forget how to make things awesome.

Although Pixar goes to great lengths to deflect all directorial credit to itself as a studio and away from its actual directors, the truth is that it's mostly Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton who know how to make things awesome. Pete Docter? No thanks.

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Although Pixar goes to great lengths to deflect all directorial credit to itself as a studio and away from its actual directors, the truth is that it's mostly Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton who know how to make things awesome. Pete Docter? No thanks.

I prefer Stanton myself, but it all comes down to taste, doesn't it?

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Yesterday I watched UP, and I am 100% with Syntheticgerbil on this one. What a disappointing movie. It was like Pixar suddenly forget how to make things awesome.

I think Synthetic would argue that they've never made a good movie. The reviews for UP said (apart from the first 10 minutes) that it was a pretty average, so I knew what to expect going in. It's certainly not a Pixar that I'd bother to watch again, but it wasn't terrible. Just average.

Considering their past run, I'd quite happily forgive them if they never made a good movie ever again.

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I might have said if before but I think the first 10 minutes of UP are among the best 5 things the studio ever did (which includes the last shot of Monster Inc., Stinky Pete desillusioned monologue in Toy Story 2, Jerry's Game and other awesomeness). The rest of the movie has it's fun moments but it's Dreamworks done better and it simply has NO connection with the opening sequence.

Maybe this wasn't the purpose of the creators but the beginning and some part of the Muntz plot beg for a Munchausen like narrative (is any of this real or not ?) and I was a bit frustrated that it never happened. But again, I might be asking for a different movie so that's not a valid criticism.

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Although Pixar goes to great lengths to deflect all directorial credit to itself as a studio and away from its actual directors, the truth is that it's mostly Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton who know how to make things awesome. Pete Docter? No thanks.

That sounds true enough. I'm more inclined to like the movies they were involved in (although I do like the original Toy Story) and they tend to feel more focused overall in terms of structure.

Up just felt like it went way off the rails and I seriously was confused why I could not be let into more of the old man's marriage.

I think Synthetic would argue that they've never made a good movie.

That's not true, I just think for a studio as praised as they are, they output hasn't really lived up to the hype. It just kind of sucks when they've made a few good movies, and the rest tend to repeat the same story conventions, tone, character designs, plot structure, and humor. It's only because they seem to only have so few tools in their toolbox, it's gets boring and frustrating after a while. I suppose the same could be said about just about Californian animation studio though.

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Has anyone else been watching The Thick of It? It has survived the loss of Chris "research" Langaham and is, in fact, better than ever. Those who claim the show is a one trick pony are incorrect - I can see how people get the impression it's just a Scottish bloke swearing but there's actually been character development and everything this series.

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The Thick Of It is one of my favorite things. Series 3 has had some fantastic episodes, especially Malcolm having set tos with the Tory spin doctor and Nicola.

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I was struggling. I think I felt depressed during the entire first time of watching it. :mock:

I would like to NOT recommend something: Gamer. That movie is one of the saddest things I have seen in a long time. Gah!

Hahahaa!

I went to see Gamer in the movie theater with the wife, but we went only because it was Michael C. Hall's first movie role outside of Dexter. Basically he played Dexter again but as a multimillionaire weirdo.

The movie itself was horrible crap, but Gerard Butler was ok in his role.

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Watched Cannonball Run at the weekend and was surprised to discover I knew all the lines (even the bits in the out takes at the end)...very odd. That black Lamborghini still looks incredible.

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