Film forum off topic/random chat thread

Drumpot · 21-06-2019 1:24am

Watching speed, enjoying the nostalgia.

But less people would prob of died had Keanu just let the bus explode.

It Ploughs through the city, we don’t know how many injuries or deaths come from that. When they get off the bus the leave it to drive wherever it wants in La Airport and it could of ended up killing hundreds had it not ploughed into a commercial jet. Like he jumped off a bus with a bomb and left it to go wherever! And then when he’s tying to get into the train station he shoots in a door that has innocent people fleeing away. How did he not shoot a few of them!!

And then he’s just the unlukiest guy in the world. Finally gets the bus to a freeway that’s not being used and it’s not finished. Then he gets stuck on a train on a track that isn’t finished so he speeds the train up to derail it. With absolutely no idea if there are any innocent people in other carriages and the train ploughs through a building site onto the Main Street.

I must add , none of this affected my enjoyment. Keanu saved the girl so it was all worth it.

FunLover18 · 21-06-2019 9:23am

Drumpot wrote: »

I must add , none of this affected my enjoyment. Keanu saved the girl so it was all worth it.

More importantly he had the sense not to come back for the sequel which I've never seen but have heard is truly awful. The podcast Film Stories just did an episode on Speed which is worth a listen

CastorTroy · 21-06-2019 9:54am

The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.

I've said before that it's mad how often films and tv shows have loads of people dying just to save 1 person

pixelburp · 21-06-2019 10:02am

The most recent Die Hard was a pretty 'good' example of this; our hero John McClane, crushing and smashing occupied cars on the Moscow highway, killing dozens.

Arguably Avengers: Endgame was also an example, when you backed away from the character drama, Stark put his doe-eyed daughter ahead of the global catastrophe of billions of people blinking out of existence (and millions more presumably dying from the wars, famine and chaos caused by those people evaporating).

The Black Oil · 10-07-2019 10:23pm

This American Life replayed an episode recently, 'Random Acts of History' - I'd not heard it before. Basically, a bunch of high school kids were taken to see Schindler's List, back in the day. They were asked to leave after an hour and this all blew up in the media, etc. They were a bit ignorant, but probably a little young for it. Thought the show covered it well. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/644/random-acts-of-history

I mentioned this in TV, the Dick Cavett Show is an old US talk shot that started popping up on Youtube.

This just appeared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJFQQY2BJDs

Tony EH · 10-07-2019 10:33pm

^

I watch Dick Cavett all the time on YouTube. Never saw it when it was on tele of course. Too young and not American. But, he was a really fine interviewer and actually talked to guests. The people he had on are fascinating too. It's great to see the various personalities, a lot of whom are dead now.

Unlike today, where US chat shows -and those this side of the pond too - are now merely vehicles for flogging shit.

If there is one thing I despise about modern times, it's that everything is an empty marketing tool. Soulless and worthless. Even most movies are just long adverts now.

The Black Oil · 10-07-2019 11:04pm

THR do roundtables, usually around awards season. They can be pretty good, but it depends on who the host is. Stephen Galloway always gets stick in the comments for interrupting. They don't really go past the hour, I wish they'd just post the full thing without editing and the questions tend to be kinda fairly similar. But yes, old school chat shows are largely dead re the art of conversation.

The Black Oil · 27-08-2019 6:50am

Nice, would have had no idea otherwise.

https://twitter.com/vashikoo/status/1163981567980478465

Dades · 27-08-2019 4:43pm

^^ That is the coolest thing I've seen in a while.

The Black Oil · 01-09-2019 10:00pm

Tony EH wrote: »

^

I watch Dick Cavett all the time on YouTube. Never saw it when it was on tele of course. Too young and not American. But, he was a really fine interviewer and actually talked to guests. The people he had on are fascinating too. It's great to see the various personalities, a lot of whom are dead now.

Unlike today, where US chat shows -and those this side of the pond too - are now merely vehicles for flogging shit.

If there is one thing I despise about modern times, it's that everything is an empty marketing tool. Soulless and worthless. Even most movies are just long adverts now.

Cavett's show is on Amazon in some form. Not sure if it's restricted to the UK, though.

Included with Shout! Factory TV on Amazon for £2.99/month after trial

Agent Coulson · 05-09-2019 10:31pm

https://twitter.com/WishIllinois/status/1167084427773710336

pixelburp · 11-09-2019 3:51pm

Things I didn't know about Sergio Leone movies: apparently the score was played on set while the actors emoted. I knew temp. music is often used by directors in the editing room, but never thought they'd actually use it during shooting. I can see the thinking behind it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiQLHL10BYo

Dades · 11-09-2019 5:30pm

I wonder was George Lucas playing John Williams during this scene... otherwise was this really what was happening...

silverharp · 18-09-2019 7:20am

go home hollywood you are drunk

https://twitter.com/Cary_Elwes/status/1174124906327330816

FunLover18 · 18-09-2019 10:18am

Rob Reiner directed it.

William Goldman adapted the screenplay from his own book.

'da f*ck is Norman Lear!?

mikhail · 18-09-2019 10:53am

FunLover18 wrote: »

Rob Reiner directed it.

William Goldman adapted the screenplay from his own book.

'da f*ck is Norman Lear!?

He was a producer on it. Bizarre to attribute the movie to him. Sid Sheinberg's Jaws, anyone?

pixelburp · 18-09-2019 11:03am

In all the myriad of Think Pieces, write-ups, retrospectives, praise, reviews - and even the occasional criticism - of The Princess Bride, I've never read the name Norman Lear. Bizarre attribution to use there.

It's like writing about "John Peters' 1989 Batman film"

Sad Professor · 18-09-2019 7:22pm

Dades wrote: »

I wonder was George Lucas playing John Williams during this scene... otherwise was this really what was happening...

Star Wars was heavily temp tracked with Holst, Dvorak etc, which Williams based his score on. So it's quite likely Lucas shot that scene knowing more or less what the music would be like, though I doubt he actually played it on set.

Agent Coulson · 24-09-2019 5:23pm

Another reboot in the works WB look like they are rebooting New Jack City.

Sonics2k · 30-09-2019 5:08pm

Shamelessly stealing this one from Reddit, but not sure if this is quite worthy of it's own thread.

Some movies just have fantastic opening scenes and 28 Weeks Later is up there with the best of them. Video below is obviously NSFW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVnz6hlC3pQ

While the movie itself wasn't nearly as good as 28 Days Later, I remember seeing this one in the cinema and the opening really got my heart racing.

pixelburp · 30-09-2019 5:13pm

So. Many. Cuts.

Must be an age thing, or maybe distance from the screen, 'cos while I saw that in the cinema I don't recall being so nauseated as I was there now watching it on the laptop monitor.

Though it's no Taken 3, for sheer number of superfluous cuts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCKhktcbfQM

Tony EH · 30-09-2019 5:13pm

Sonics2k wrote: »

Shamelessly stealing this one from Reddit, but not sure if this is quite worthy of it's own thread.

Some movies just have fantastic opening scenes and 28 Weeks Later is up there with the best of them. Video below is obviously NSFW

While the movie itself wasn't nearly as good as 28 Days Later, I remember seeing this one in the cinema and the opening really got my heart racing.

One of the best openings to a horror film I've seen.

Pity the rest of it was rubbish though.

Tony EH · 30-09-2019 5:16pm

pixelburp wrote: »

So. Many. Cuts

Somewhat forgivable in the scene from '28 Weeks Later' as it actually aids the tension.

But, yeh. The half millions cuts per minute penchant that some film makers have these days is irritating for sure.

Dades · 01-10-2019 10:33am

pixelburp wrote: »

Though it's no Taken 3, for sheer number of superfluous cuts

Ha - what the hell was going on there?! Makes that daft scene in Bohemian Rhapsody look polished.

Sonics2k · 01-10-2019 10:53am

pixelburp wrote: »

So. Many. Cuts.

Must be an age thing, or maybe distance from the screen, 'cos while I saw that in the cinema I don't recall being so nauseated as I was there now watching it on the laptop monitor.

Though it's no Taken 3, for sheer number of superfluous cuts

Generally I'd absolutely agree with you, jump cuts are often extremely lazy. However, when it's done right it can really add to the tension of a scene, mostly in horrors/thrillers.

pixelburp · 01-10-2019 11:01am

Dades wrote: »

Ha - what the hell was going on there?! Makes that daft scene in Bohemian Rhapsody look polished.

The conventional "thinking" with quick cuts is that it adds a sense of chaos and immediacy to action. So idiots like Olivier Megaton use it in all the wrong places without understanding why or how it works.

Elsewhere, in the land of video essays, the usually entertaining Lindsey Ellis dropped a new video, unpacking the cynical and superficial attempts by Disney to 'modernise' its live-action remakes with empty "woke"ness. Her material is always pretty nuanced and rational, with some decent academic perspectives brought to pop culture entities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU1ffHa47YY

Tony EH · 01-10-2019 2:25pm

^
Yeh watched that this morning. She's bang on the button in many respects.

pixelburp · 01-10-2019 2:33pm

Tony EH wrote: »

^
Yeh watched that this morning. She's bang on the button in many respects.

Ellis is a highly underrated "YouTuber" IMO, and really marries the flippant pop-culture with some balanced, thoughtful views on gender, race, political ideologies etc. - without coming across like a demagogue. She clearly knows her onions, with a good sense of humour to carry the material as well.

If you look at anything else of hers, the series on Transformers should be watched: it's a 9 part deconstruction of the franchise & Michael Bay in general, and despite what you're probably thinking, is a fascinating piece. It won't change your mind about Bay, but really delves into the "whys" of his noted prejudices and tropes.

Tony EH · 01-10-2019 2:37pm

Yeh, I've seen a few things from her and she seems to have her tongue in her cheek, while tearing apart the likes of Disney and other big studio productions, without the need to push some sort of obvious, cheap, politics.

Haven't seen the Transformers stuff.

The Black Oil · 24-10-2019 2:24pm

McQuarrie tends to delete all his messages after a while, so read while you can. Nothing terribly surprising, really.

https://twitter.com/chrismcquarrie/status/1187023381251670017

FunLover18 · 24-10-2019 2:57pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

McQuarrie tends to delete all his messages after a while, so read while you can. Nothing terribly surprising, really.

https://twitter.com/chrismcquarrie/status/1187023381251670017

He's done spoiler special podcasts with Empire for the last two MI films and they're great!!

johnny_ultimate · 24-10-2019 11:23pm

****ing Disney, man.

https://twitter.com/mattzollerseitz/status/1187482142391046145?s=21

Fysh · 25-10-2019 3:44pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

****ing Disney, man.

https://twitter.com/mattzollerseitz/status/1187482142391046145?s=21

But it doesn't matter because now we can have the x-men in the same universe as the avengers. (I wish I could say the joke is self-evident but there seem to be plenty of MCU diehard fans who seemingly think Disney/Marvel can do no wrong...)

Sad Professor · 25-10-2019 11:59pm

Die Netflix die.

https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/netflix-variable-playback-speeds-test-1203383583/

Fysh · 26-10-2019 5:50pm

Sad Professor wrote: »

Die Netflix die.

https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/netflix-variable-playback-speeds-test-1203383583/

I don't mind this so much, actually. Given how some shows are bloated to longer length or higher episode count than merited by the material, I can see this maybe being a useful counter - and on the flipside for foreign language material the slower playback could be useful for viewers struggling to keep up.

pixelburp · 26-10-2019 7:26pm

Weird one, but not an uncommon occurrence. I've heard of folks watching digital copies of shows on 1.5 speed, especially for those with a needlessly lugubrious pace.

In fact, cards on the table, I watched Walking Dead at 1.5 speed for a time, because of its non existent pace or plot, until I realised the show was a miserable & pointless waste of time.

Mind you, our "smart" TV is locked to a very old version of the app, so we won't have that setting haha; don't even have the option to play trailers.

CastorTroy · 26-10-2019 9:00pm

Did I miss something? Why would the option be a bad thing?

mikhail · 27-10-2019 3:46pm

CastorTroy wrote: »

Did I miss something? Why would the option be a bad thing?

Because watching something at 1.5x speed isn't 'real' TV watching.

/s

There are so many better targets of even a flicker of irritation.

Electric Nitwit · 01-11-2019 5:37pm

https://twitter.com/WreckinRod/status/1190248990782062592?s=19

pixelburp · 01-11-2019 5:41pm

Damn. Still to this day, that intro gives me chills. Such pure cinema.

Vangelis' soundtrack really did marry so well with Scott's eye.

Arghus · 01-11-2019 6:42pm

Any thoughts on the IMDB and Box office mojo redesign?

I think they look terrible the new BOM is a travesty. The original design was simple and straightforward.

MfMan · 01-11-2019 11:14pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Damn. Still to this day, that intro gives me chills. Such pure cinema.

Vangelis' soundtrack really did marry so well with Scott's eye.

"Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?"

Without wishing to reopen another debate, I really think it would be the ultimate in ambiguity were Deckard to also be a replicant. "How can it not know what it is?"

The sequel wasn't exactly terrible, but I felt it was overlong, lost focus of what it was meant to be about somewhat and was trying too hard. No real complement to the towering original.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 02-11-2019 6:47pm

Could have done with that faster playback option when trying to watch Peterloo on Amazon Prime this past week.

mikhail · 02-11-2019 10:02pm

MfMan wrote: »

Without wishing to reopen another debate, I really think it would be the ultimate in ambiguity were Deckard to also be a replicant. "How can it not know what it is?"

I've come to peace with the fact that Scott has fairly definitively answered that with a yes. I've always felt it was better uncertain.

It's November 2019, the perfect month to give BR another spin.

The Black Oil · 06-11-2019 11:05pm

Handy little tool here from the New Yorker re mapping the gross of franchises.

https://projects.newyorker.com/story/hollywood-franchises/

Agent Coulson · 07-11-2019 8:05pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Handy little tool here from the New Yorker re mapping the gross of franchises.

https://projects.newyorker.com/story/hollywood-franchises/

Bit strange that it counts all Bond films but only 7 of the MCU and 5 of the X - Men films and not the rest of films in either franchises.

mikhail · 07-11-2019 9:10pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Bit strange that it counts all Bond films but only 7 of the MCU and 5 of the X - Men films and not the rest of films in either franchises.

3 transformers, 6 star wars ... I assumed it was just out of date until you mentioned the Bond films.

The Black Oil · 07-11-2019 10:28pm

Ah this is heartbreaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9lXXYEn5n8

p to the e · 08-11-2019 12:58pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Damn. Still to this day, that intro gives me chills. Such pure cinema.

Vangelis' soundtrack really did marry so well with Scott's eye.

That drum bang. Shivers

I went looking for the Blade Runner soundtrack a while back just for that intro and I didn't realise the history of how messy the soundtrack was. The original didn't have that drum bang intro.

There's several versions and bootlegs and the definitive one seems to be the "Esper" edition which I believe is the version linked below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_(soundtrack)

Esper Edition

El Duda · 08-11-2019 2:04pm

I'm going to see Bladerunner with a live orchestra next year. I have goosebumps already.

Film forum off topic/random chat thread

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