Scott and I agree on something? I'm .. nope, I don't feel anything.
I'm going to fall back on my original wondering about it being a experiencing it before it was aped/parodied to hell and back thing. Sort of how the originator of something can seem cliched and tired after everyone and their brother does it to death, e.g. The Matrix and BulletTime™
Hrrrmm, how to explain with examples rather than just saying "you don't need to recognize or consciously note that you've seen this same scene/set up before for it to affect your judgement". I am unfamiliar with you and any cultural references you know to make any good analogies other than the originators of a thing becoming cliched even though they themselves are the start of said thing.
I just think it's a lot different than the Matrix. The Matrix has very obvious things (Bullet time) that were widely copied. I don't think anyone can say, "Oh, this was OBVIOUSLY taken from The Usual Suspects" in anything minus a direct parody. While things may have been influenced by it, I can't imagine it's anything so big that it would make the scene bored to me.
You could say that the twist was a less obvious thing to have in movies this many years ago, but is it? Spacey is the central character and is seemingly pointless, and tons of things don't add up. Once they bring up Soze, assuming the two are the same was an easy and quick assumption.
Beyond that, everything else about the movie is really irrelevant to talk about in terms of things it would've inspired. Guys do crimes and shoot lots of people in a way that's not particularly interesting compared to either heist/crime movies. Quite frankly, crime movies afterwards are very different and many of them are better.
Given that the film is nearly 20 years old (and now I feel really old!) I think even just the influence of the film is enough to give you that backwards cliched effect. It doesn't need to be aped scene for scene, so many of the little things from the film can be taken away and used to make it feel that way. IMDB lists over 100 tv shows and movies that reference The Usual Suspects, and some 20 entries that directly parody it.
You still reference The Usual Suspects as a heist/crime film, even though that's not the point.
I'm actually seriously curious what you would think about Citizen Kane.
Umm...Well, they're completely unrelated movies of different genre. I don't think the comparison is apt. I also have seen LOTS of Citizen Kane parodies.
Additionally, I didn't say The Usual Suspects is a crime/heist film. I said many of its scenes are right out of that genre of film, and it doesn't do them very well.
I watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Utterly predictable but not without charm.
More importantly, it was the first movie we watched with the new Blu Ray with surround sound player that arrived from Amazon this morning. And it's awesome!
If you're looking for something that's really going to make your new surround system sound great, try Across the Universe. Provided you like the Beatles, that is. We were blown away. During the Vietnam scene we actually thought there was a helicopter flying over our house (we live near Sikorsky) for a moment, but the music... it was amazing.
If you're looking for something that's really going to make your new surround system sound great, try Across the Universe. Provided you like the Beatles, that is. We were blown away. During the Vietnam scene we actually thought there was a helicopter flying over our house (we live near Sikorsky) for a moment, but the music... it was amazing.
Bro, when it comes to Beatles movies, it's All This and WWII or bust.
If you're looking for something that's really going to make your new surround system sound great, try Across the Universe. Provided you like the Beatles, that is. We were blown away. During the Vietnam scene we actually thought there was a helicopter flying over our house (we live near Sikorsky) for a moment, but the music... it was amazing.
Bro, when it comes to Beatles movies, it's All This and WWII or bust.
I find A Hard Day's Night is the best. *Fancy Film Cap*
But honestly, the best film that to test out new technology sounds like Life of Pi. I've never really invested in Blu-Rays that much just because I've never have one and I prefer watching films on my laptop or Xbox. And DVD/Blu-Ray costs fluctuant widely and vary only if the amount of additional content is worth it.
At our local video rents place, all Blu-Ray discs are €1.70 for the night, as are new releases if DVDs. Older DVDs are €1 per night. So for. Us Blu-Ray isn't any more expensive. Until now we've been watching Blu-Ray via a drive attached to my MacBook Pro, then that attached to the TV. But my laptop only has stereo out. So we spent a few hundred euro on a dedicated player with surround sound. It's worth it due to the massive TV we just inherited after Juluane's parents replaced theirs (with a 3D TV, no less).
We watched Life of Pi at the cinema in 3D, and really enjoyed it.
Don Jon may not be the best movie I've seen this year, but it is probably the most real, strongest movie about fantasy, relationships, and love in a while. It's stylish and eye-opening, similar to the effect of 500 Days of Summer.
It really proves how talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt is. There are lots of small details can explain each character well and it's downright funny and tantalizing. The major issue I have is with the last third, that focuses on a new character without too much development or time to establish her. It doesn't cut down what you can learn from the movie, but I do think it stops the movie from being incredible and something I would constantly rewatch.
Also, I've learned I shouldn't see movies with my brother. He always judges movies from an emotional point of view while I always look at it from a technical point of view. You know, it's like comparing someone who overlooks the pacing or character problems versus someone who directly notices them as a fault to the film.
So here's an odd thing: I had never seen the Daria movies until yesterday. I'd always been warned off them, being told that they mistreated the characters with little redemption for it. But I watched them, and people were wrong -- about Is It College Yet, anyway. The first movie Is It Fall, Yet? has some serious issues in this regard. Quinn's plot is fantastic (as usual), and the subplot with Link is very good and hits all the right spots, but it's in the background in favor of drama between Daria and Jane about Tom. Now, I understand why they felt the need to write this, but they were a season too late. Daria had been going out with Tom for a whole season with little difficulties with Jane. I understand that sometimes resentment smolders within someone for a while not surfacing for some time (perhaps as long as a season), but there was no indication of Jane going through that. Instead, the drama comes out of left field (as does Jane's troubles with Alison at the artists colony, but I'll forgive that because a) some funny moments lead up to it and b) it was the 90s and the mainstream was still not entirely sure how to handle sexuality subplots).
Is It College Yet?, on the other hand, handles everything very well. Daria and Tom's drama during their college visits and between her and the Sloans, Jane's angst over whether or not to go to art school, and best of all Jodie's struggles between an Ivy League and an HBCU (or is it an HBC, since it's just the one, and that one is a C not a U?). The Lindy subplot could have been handled better, but it was done well enough that it didn't feel like a PSA, and it involved Quinn and that always makes things better. Daria's speech at the end was anti-climactic and highly overrated, but her exchange with Jane afterward was exactly how the movie and the franchise needed to end, so it all evens out, really. Overall, Is It College, Yet? is definitely worthy of the Daria brand, and adequately closes the franchise.
Watched the Whedon directed Much ado about nothing.
Not much to comment on as far as the plot and story goes, Shakespeare is Shakespeare. I didn't catch anything being omitted or changed. The modern setting was used to good effect to emphasize character moods and motivations in ways that modern audiences would have an easy time relating to (the shot of Claudio In the pool with a martini the morning after the masquerade was hilarious)
It was fun watching some of those actors showing off their chops. Alexis Denisof's Benedict was a lot of fun, and him and Amy Acker have some really good chemistry. It was fun seeing the two actors back together again. The part of the show that I was most looking forward too was Nathan Amy Acker as Dogberry, and he didn't disappoint. I was really surprised by Clark Greg's turn as Leanato, he seemed to have a genuine warmth durring the first acts, and he managed to deliver on the wracked, grief stricken father without coming off as melodramatic. Which is to say that the character of Leonato comes off as melodramatic about it, but Clark still seems genuine.
It's a damned good performance of one of my favorite plays. It's a damned shame we don't get more performances of Shakespeare like this one.
Saw Pain and Gain at a friend place last night. It was just so rediculus and over the top that none of us believed it was based on real life events. And even after reading all I could about what really happened I still have trouble believing it. It's just so crazy. I really get why the cops were like "yeah yeah, all this crazy shit happened to you? Uhuh, well were going to lose your paperwork and forget about all this."
I saw Gravity last night in IMAX 3D. I don't like saying something is a masterpiece, because that is an overused word in my opinion, but I think the word is warranted for this. It's also one of the few films where both IMAX and 3D is necessary to see it, because you'll feel like you are actually in space.
I don't want to say too much more about it because this is a film I think everyone needs to see for themselves. The only thing I can say is that the camerawork is jaw dropping and I echo Eryn in rhapsodizing about HOW IN THE HOLY MOTHER OF HELL DID THEY DO THAT?!? Go watch it while it's in theaters. Now.
Except for changing Conrade into a female character and making the scene between her and Don John hilariously erotic. I loved that.
They left the lines unchanged so I didn't count it. I approved of the change though. It makes me wonder; are any other villainous monologues that make for good pillow talk? Is anyone here willing to perform an experiment? Y'know, for science.
I watched Looper expecting it to be a forgettable popcorn flick, but ignoring the usual time travel plot holes, the last 30% or so was surprisingly good.
I'm going to watch it tomorrow. It was shown on Saturday on the IMAX here in Berlin last weekend, but it seems not any more. I'll just see it in 3D then, non-IMAX.
Comments
I'm not gonna repeat the entirety of my previous posts.
I'm going to fall back on my original wondering about it being a experiencing it before it was aped/parodied to hell and back thing. Sort of how the originator of something can seem cliched and tired after everyone and their brother does it to death, e.g. The Matrix and BulletTime™
You could say that the twist was a less obvious thing to have in movies this many years ago, but is it? Spacey is the central character and is seemingly pointless, and tons of things don't add up. Once they bring up Soze, assuming the two are the same was an easy and quick assumption.
Beyond that, everything else about the movie is really irrelevant to talk about in terms of things it would've inspired. Guys do crimes and shoot lots of people in a way that's not particularly interesting compared to either heist/crime movies. Quite frankly, crime movies afterwards are very different and many of them are better.
I was glad to see the effects were well done. I usually think anything set in space looks terribly fake.
Bullock was particularly good in this. I wouldn't be surprised if she wins awards for this.
I really don't want to spoil anything so just go for it.
You still reference The Usual Suspects as a heist/crime film, even though that's not the point.
I'm actually seriously curious what you would think about Citizen Kane.
Additionally, I didn't say The Usual Suspects is a crime/heist film. I said many of its scenes are right out of that genre of film, and it doesn't do them very well.
More importantly, it was the first movie we watched with the new Blu Ray with surround sound player that arrived from Amazon this morning. And it's awesome!
But honestly, the best film that to test out new technology sounds like Life of Pi. I've never really invested in Blu-Rays that much just because I've never have one and I prefer watching films on my laptop or Xbox. And DVD/Blu-Ray costs fluctuant widely and vary only if the amount of additional content is worth it.
We watched Life of Pi at the cinema in 3D, and really enjoyed it.
It really proves how talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt is. There are lots of small details can explain each character well and it's downright funny and tantalizing. The major issue I have is with the last third, that focuses on a new character without too much development or time to establish her. It doesn't cut down what you can learn from the movie, but I do think it stops the movie from being incredible and something I would constantly rewatch.
Also, I've learned I shouldn't see movies with my brother. He always judges movies from an emotional point of view while I always look at it from a technical point of view. You know, it's like comparing someone who overlooks the pacing or character problems versus someone who directly notices them as a fault to the film.
Is It College Yet?, on the other hand, handles everything very well. Daria and Tom's drama during their college visits and between her and the Sloans, Jane's angst over whether or not to go to art school, and best of all Jodie's struggles between an Ivy League and an HBCU (or is it an HBC, since it's just the one, and that one is a C not a U?). The Lindy subplot could have been handled better, but it was done well enough that it didn't feel like a PSA, and it involved Quinn and that always makes things better. Daria's speech at the end was anti-climactic and highly overrated, but her exchange with Jane afterward was exactly how the movie and the franchise needed to end, so it all evens out, really. Overall, Is It College, Yet? is definitely worthy of the Daria brand, and adequately closes the franchise.
Not much to comment on as far as the plot and story goes, Shakespeare is Shakespeare. I didn't catch anything being omitted or changed. The modern setting was used to good effect to emphasize character moods and motivations in ways that modern audiences would have an easy time relating to (the shot of Claudio In the pool with a martini the morning after the masquerade was hilarious)
It was fun watching some of those actors showing off their chops. Alexis Denisof's Benedict was a lot of fun, and him and Amy Acker have some really good chemistry. It was fun seeing the two actors back together again. The part of the show that I was most looking forward too was Nathan Amy Acker as Dogberry, and he didn't disappoint. I was really surprised by Clark Greg's turn as Leanato, he seemed to have a genuine warmth durring the first acts, and he managed to deliver on the wracked, grief stricken father without coming off as melodramatic. Which is to say that the character of Leonato comes off as melodramatic about it, but Clark still seems genuine.
It's a damned good performance of one of my favorite plays. It's a damned shame we don't get more performances of Shakespeare like this one.
I don't want to say too much more about it because this is a film I think everyone needs to see for themselves. The only thing I can say is that the camerawork is jaw dropping and I echo Eryn in rhapsodizing about HOW IN THE HOLY MOTHER OF HELL DID THEY DO THAT?!? Go watch it while it's in theaters. Now.