Movies

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Fuck you guys for making me briefly consider seeing the new Ghostbusters.

Toy Story 3:  Did not care for it.  This movie is dark as fuck. Like I would not take small children to see this because the incinerator scene would probably give them nightmares for weeks.  And even though there's a "happy" ending, it's bittersweet because now you know what's going to happen the next time a child grows up.

What if that's because it's aimed at the people who were small children when Toy Story 1 came out 13 years before that?

[NotMiki]

How bad is it on a scale of 1 to Watership Down?

[Captain K]

Have to get back to you on that, it's been a *long* time since I've seen Watership Down.

[NotMiki]

Just google it and know that it's worse than it looks.  I'm not sure I could live with the guilt of having induced someone to actually WATCH Watership Down.

[Cotigo]

I watched Watership Down after reading the book for the Japanese/English book club I was going to a couple years ago. As an adult who likes hallucinogens and cartoons it was great. As a kid wtf.

[Scar]

Henry and the Search for Happiness

This movie struck a chord with me.

Maybe  living I n the now, but this feels like Simon Pegg's best movie, or at the very least my favorite film from him.

Good movie. Good message. Hit me right in the feels.

I recommend it. Two Scars up!

[Meeplelard]

Saw Ghostbusters myself, and I have to say...what the hell is wrong with Sony's marketing department?  They basically put all the worst jokes of the movie in the trailer, or alternatively, the ones that didn't suck were ones that only work in context which is to say they would seem like forced humor otherwise.   Because seriously, there's plenty of good stuff you could have shown, stuff that didn't even need context, in the trailer that would have worked.

So yeah, I enjoyed it overall, think the last time a movie looked absolutely awful in a trailer but was way better in practice that I saw was Baseketball, though in Baseketball's defense, I don't think it's possible to make that movie look good in a trailer, given it was made specifically to be a movie about the dumbest idea you can think of.

I won't say it's a perfect movie, or anything like that, but watching it did make me realize "This is exactly what a reboot should be", at least in the sense of the direction the movie took.  Now yes, they had a bunch of callbacks to the original, but that's very much a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario, so whatever, but overall, it recognized the basic premise of the original movie, but tried to be unique and original, not simply "Same movie but gender swapped lol."  Considering that, it really begs the question why the trailer further tried to evoke imagery of the original movie so much; showing that the initial ghost encounter appeared in what looked like a library was NOT a wise idea in the slightest, since it basically says "we're trying our hardest to evoke nostalgia damn it!", when most of the movie doesn't do that.  If you're going to do a "reboot" instead of a "remake", you need to bother to actually change things up a lot to justify you're re-establishing a setting, new rules, etc., such that you can do your own thing with the same basic premise, which this movie does for the most part.

So overall, it was fun.  Not sure I have any intention on seeing it again, but I don't regret the time I spent on it; it's a lot like Men in Black 3 in that regard.

[Grefter]

If they didn't do the nods to the original in the trailers then that also would have been a garbage fire in the comments section.   Also you don't use your best jokes on the stuff that is going to be seen by everyone and run into the ground.

Trailers is where good jokes die for your sins.

[Meeplelard]

There's a difference between "not using your best material" and "using literally your worst material that fails miserably out of context, and only sort of works in context."   Ghostbusters' Trailers are definitely in the latter camp.

And that's literally what I meant about "damned if you do, damned if you don't" as far as nods and cameos to the original.

[Cmdr_King]

So I'm still laid up, and some people are entertained by telling me to do things, so hey.  A list of movies I have about the house that I haven't watched, if people want to give me a viewing order (or just stand agog going "HOW HAVEN'T YOU WATCHED THAT", either way.)

Alien
Aliens
Alien 3 (look it was a set)
Fargo
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Inception
John Wick
LA Confidential
Lost in Translation
The Road Warrior
Mad Max: Beyond Thunder Dome
Police Academy
Police Academy 2
Police Academy 3 (another set)

[superaielman]

LA Confidential and Inception are two of my all time favorite films, watch them first.

[Hunter Sopko]

Fargo
Alien
Aliens
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Road Warrior
LA Confidential
Inception
Lost in Translation
Police Academies
John Wick
Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome
Alien 3

[Grefter]

Fargo
Alien
Aliens
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Road Warrior
LA Confidential
Inception
Lost in Translation
Police Academies
John Wick
Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome
Alien 3

[Fenrir]

Yes:
Lost in translation
Inception
Alien
John Wick

Okay:
Fargo
LA confidential
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

What are you doing mate:
Police Academy

[Fudozukushi]

What are you doing mate:
Police Academy

Prepping for 2 Lava 2 Lantula, obviously.

[Shale]

LA Confidential and Inception are two of my all time favorite films, watch them first.

[Ranmilia]

Either skip Alien 3 or toss it in the middle of the pack somewhere where the taste will be quickly washed out.  It might make a good leadin to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Lost in Translation.

[NotMiki]

Set up 2 TVs and watch Alien 3 and Fear and Loathing simultaneously.

[Cmdr_King]

Trip Report 1:  Fargo-

THis reminds me a lot of another Coen's film, True Grit.  The way they shoot the roads and the snowfields has a lot in common with those lonely meetings on the wastes between Jeff Bridges and the bandits.  And I know that's backwards, but like... in True Grit it gave it that western feel which made sense.  In Fargo it's far more interesting because it gives it that same Western feel to me, except it's snow.  But it goes so well with the detective story about career criminals and  a greedy dipshit in over his head trying to make land deals. 

The ultra violence works for what it is, in that it feels out of place next to the western aesthetic and that's sorta the point.  Setting up that contrast is well handled in general, especially with all the small details stuff they work in.  Margie isn't some hard boiled detective, she's a pretty sharp lady who keeps town safe then goes home and talks about her husband's attempts to design a stamp.

I've only seen four Coen films now, this probably places #2 behind Lebowski?  But really it's a hard call and it's a sort of movie I don't watch a lot so I don't have quite the same tools for comparative analysis.  But it's was pretty engaging and did a great job of presenting itself and letting you figure out what was going on on your own.

[NotMiki]

Fair number of classic westerns feature snow - McCabe and Mrs. Miller most prominently.

[Cmdr_King]

Trip Report 2: Inception-

Man I don't watch nearly enough movies with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The arrangement of the final sequence once the fall from the bridge starts strikes me as peak Nolan.  A glimpse into his truest mind, his id unchained.

We're unsurprised that Nolan's unchained id is still rigidly structured with immaculate timing.

But yeah, it's hard to say too much because it's one of those technically flawless films that says something but in a very clinical way?  But seeing it in action and the ideas he brings together to do it are just enthralling on the screen functioning in his perfect Nolan clockwork.

[Sierra]

Man I don't watch nearly enough movies with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Watch Looper.

Oh yeah, I watched Looper. It was very good.

[Grefter]

It's like I say things for a reason.

[Cmdr_King]

Trip Report 3: Alien-

I don't do horror normally, so I'm definitely watching this as a bit of an outsider.  Still, they do all sorts of cool stuff.  The opening sequence lacking any true protagonist is great, especially for a horror flick.  I'm told that Sigorney Weaver was the least famous person in it in fact.  It's got an interesting progression because it's actually pretty intelligent except for a) the parts that are deliberate sabotage so y'know they make sense and b) cat, but hey, most people are idiots about cats.  The middle of the movie has to be kinda intellectual about it since it's 95% tension, and it kinda works.

But holy shit Ridley Scott rocks that nightmare lighting during the self destruct sequence.  It's the sort of thing that puts you on edge when NOTHING happens.  Some Silent Hill: Shattered Memories stuff.  Heck, during the whole sequence the alien doesn't actually notice or stalk Ripley at all, it just... sniffs at the cat a bit.  But super effective.

Not really my street but hey, clearly good at what it's doing.

[The Duck]

John Wick