bigdamnhero Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Downfall (2004), a German movie about Hitler's last ten days and the fall of Berlin. Yeah, I saw that one when it came out - powerful movie. Unfortunately, I'm no sure I could watch it again now that the scene of Hitler berating his generals has been used to create so many hysterical memes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Funnily, the spoiler wasn't what bothered me, a somewhat purist. What bothered me was the distrust/separation of Holmes and Watson, something that would NEVER have happened in the book. The 2 men were loyal to each other to a fault. I have liked this series and the portrayal of both characters up to that point. I liked that the 2 immediately in the first episode seemed to forge that bond. The spoiler was just a substitute for Moriarty to me. I think it is just another case of Hollywood running out of ideas. For Trek they ram in time travel. For drama they ram in "dark conspiracy" or "alienation/betrayal of partner". Instead of just ending a series, they desperately try to stretch them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Yeah, I saw that one when it came out - powerful movie. Unfortunately, I'm no sure I could watch it again now that the scene of Hitler berating his generals has been used to create so many hysterical memes. Hitler the Last Ten Days covers the same subject with Alec Guiness as Hitler. Fun fact: The guy who blew up himself and his family with hand grenades at the dinner table in Downfall is the same character asking to be head of the German Red Cross, and listing his atrocities, at the beginning of Hitler the Last Ten Days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 The Series Finally of Smallville. Nice to see Tom Welling in the costume, which begs the question why couldn't they get him to play Superman in Supergirl. Erica Durance as Lois Lane blows Amy Adams out of the water she dove into to get the Kryptonite Spear. And apparently Smallville Presidential Election Years are the same as the West Wing's, So I guess it was Newman, Lassiter, Bartlett, Santos, Martinez, and Luthor. (Obscure Cancelled TV Show/Comic Continuation/Crossover Reference!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 Americathon Tunnelvision Two movies set in alternate futures where David Eisenhower was President. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted January 22, 2017 Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 April and the Extraordinary World, a French animated steampunk film. Wonderfully inventive, silly and fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Finished Season 1 of The Crown, a Netflix series about the early reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Surprisingly compelling; I was expecting more Downtown Abbey-esque soap opera, but it's much more about how young Elizabeth (25 when she assumes the throne) figures out her role in a changing modern Britain while also trying to be a wife/mother/sister/etc. Extraordinarily well-acted, especially Claire Foy who gives a restrained and nuanced performance as Elizabeth, and Matt Smith (formerly of Dr. Who) less restrained as Prince Phillip. Plus you get John Lithgow doing Winston Churchill impressions, which is kindof awesome. Highly recommended; can't wait for Season 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 The First Season of House of Cards. Kevin Spacey is very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Terrific show called Fannie's Last Dinner. The folks from America's Test Kitchen took a 12-course meal plan from Fannie Farmer's 1896 cookbook (the first real cookbook in America, huge bestseller) and did a dinner party. They used all victorian-era techniques, including cooking over a wood stove, and many of the ingredients were very difficult to obtain. They cooked everything from scratch, down to creating their own food coloring and gelatin. Great show, on Netflix. Ternaugh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Wild Tales From the Village and Invisible Cities: Naples. The former has Tcheky Karyo narrating as it is about a village in France and various animals living there over the course of a year. Shown originally over Christmas. Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Some friends of mine recently watched Twin Peaks for the first time. Their comments have put me in the mood, so I'm watching it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted February 1, 2017 Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 Just finished Sense8 on Netflix, from the Wachowskis and Joe Straczynski. Some interesting ideas and several neat bits, but massively overstuffed. No less than 8 main characters trying to juggle the spotlight, each with their own individual stories we're supposed to 1) remember and 2) care about, but the constant jumping back and forth made it hard for me to remember what the hell was going on in each of them. And it doesn't help that some of the character plots were, shall we say, less interesting than others. (I still don't know/care what the German Guy was up to. And is there a law in Hollywood that all plots involving Indian women must revolve around a wedding?) And oh yeah, there's some metaplot running in the background, that gets maybe 2 hours of screen time doled out over 12 episodes... OK, that came out a little more negative than I intended. There were some nice bits, and overall I felt like the show had potential. If Season 2 can focus more on the metastory and less on individual background noise, it might even live up to that potential. But a disappointing first season overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted February 1, 2017 Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 Yeah, they did kindof go back and forth between Loving Homage and Vicious Send-up. I was never really a Narnia fan, so that part didn't particularly bother me. What really bothered me was in the season finale when they had Julia literally gain powers from being raped. I mean, usually when feminists complain about rape being portrayed as "empowering," it's not quite that literal. Especially since they has already danced close to that line with her in the pilot (the assault in the bathroom that initially triggers her powers). That's just all kinds of fucked up. I read some reviews for the book series the show is based on a while back. A lot of the reviewers thought the author had serious problems when it came to handling female characters. On the other hand, the TV show seems to be diverging from the books and has its own writer, so perhaps it will be better in that regard. As to the issue at hand . . . I think that using rape as a plot point is a dicey proposition. I'd just as soon authors left it out, unless it was the main topic of the story. That said, if a story uses rape as a plot point, it needs to be in service to the story, and drive the plot in a meaningful way. It needs to be handled tastefully and not as a cheap gimmick. So, does it pass the acid test in the TV version of The Magicians? I'm going to give a tentative yes to that, though the subject being as sensitive as it is, I'm sure some folks might disagree. Here's my read on it in Season 1: Early in the series, the show establishes that magicians are a screwed up bunch. They spend an episode explaining this to Quentin, going over the emotional traumas of all the characters. Magic in the setting seems driven by negative emotions to a degree. Powerful magic also comes at a terrible price in the setting. So, the rape supports one of the main themes of the series. The rape also gives Julia an important connection to Martin, a fellow rape victim. There's no way she's going to be able to force him to help her, even with the dagger. I think Season 2 will explore this aspect of their relationship more. Edit: While I was typing this, the wife called me in to watch the premier of Season 2, and they do address the Julia/Martin connection. It seems like it's going to be an important aspect of their relationship going forward. (Don't want to say more at the moment.) The episode was OK, though they had the lamest resolution to a season cliffhanger that I've ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted February 1, 2017 Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 We've been watching a lot of random old stuff lately. The latest, newest thing we've watched is Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman. So far, so good. We're three episodes in. It's better than expected, and we're both Coleman fans. It's kind of funny that both Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman are in period pieces about young queens at the same time. Clearly a TARDIS malfunction is to blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted February 1, 2017 Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 It's kind of funny that both Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman are in period pieces about young queens at the same time. Clearly a TARDIS malfunction is to blame. The TARDIS malfunction would explain why Clara is cosplaying as Queen Victoria and Ashildr is going by the pseudonym "Ayra Stark". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted February 1, 2017 Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 Actually, Arya Stark is wearing Ashildr's face. bigdamnhero 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted February 1, 2017 Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 Oooo...nice pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted February 3, 2017 Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 Back on The Magicians... That said, if a story uses rape as a plot point, it needs to be in service to the story, and drive the plot in a meaningful way. It needs to be handled tastefully and not as a cheap gimmick. So, does it pass the acid test in the TV version of The Magicians? I'm going to give a tentative yes to that, though the subject being as sensitive as it is, I'm sure some folks might disagree. Fair points. And at least they treated the rape as something that happened to her, rather than focusing on how it affects the men around her. (Looking at you, Game Of Thrones.) What bothered me was that rape is all-too-commonly portrayed as something that has a positive effect on women, by making them stronger, teaching them to fight back, etc; a trope which is problematic on SO many levels and we should've outgrown ages ago. By having Julia get superpowers as a direct, immediate result of the rape, this turned that trope up to 11 in what was (to me) the most offensive and insensitive way imaginable. Total deal-breaker for me. Doesn't mean it has to be for you, of course. I'm also over the Sexual Assault Victims Become Villains trope, so having Julia immediately go Dark Side and betray her friends to team up with the other victim-turned-villain didn't help matters. Again IMO, YMMV, etc. BTW from what I understand the rape itself was in the books and was treated as the horrific, traumatic event it was. The idea of it being something that is literally empowering was apparently added by the TV bozos. Hooray for Hollywood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted February 3, 2017 Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 Back on The Magicians... Fair points. And at least they treated the rape as something that happened to her, rather than focusing on how it affects the men around her. (Looking at you, Game Of Thrones.) What bothered me was that rape is all-too-commonly portrayed as something that has a positive effect on women, by making them stronger, teaching them to fight back, etc; a trope which is problematic on SO many levels and we should've outgrown ages ago. By having Julia get superpowers as a direct, immediate result of the rape, this turned that trope up to 11 in what was (to me) the most offensive and insensitive way imaginable. Total deal-breaker for me. Doesn't mean it has to be for you, of course. I'm also over the Sexual Assault Victims Become Villains trope, so having Julia immediately go Dark Side and betray her friends to team up with the other victim-turned-villain didn't help matters. Again IMO, YMMV, etc. BTW from what I understand the rape itself was in the books and was treated as the horrific, traumatic event it was. The idea of it being something that is literally empowering was apparently added by the TV bozos. Hooray for Hollywood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted February 3, 2017 Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 OK, that post got all mangled and can't be fixed. The new post editor is a bit odd sometimes. What I was trying to say was those were fair points, and good reasons to avoid using rape as a plot point. I'm not sure on Julia turning villain, per se, though certainly selfish. I think she's going to be tempted this season. Of course, the Beast was raped and became a major villain, so that ship has already sailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted February 3, 2017 Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 There are a couple of great mob shows on Netflix right now" The Irish Mob" and "Inside the American Mob." Both are full of interviews from actual gangsters, family, cops who busted them, etc. Very interesting and informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Italy's Invisible Cities episode 2 Venice. This was nice. Agents of Shield Season 4 parts 1 and 2. It was kind of unnecessary to see Daisy dressing at the start of episode 1 with her putting on her underwear. But they are doing an interesting riff on Ghost Rider. And the ghosts look interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Hateful 8, Quentin Tarantino's lates oeuvre. Very Tarantino. Such wow. Many pretty. Excessive blood. Swearing, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Southside With You, a film about Barack & Michelle Obama's first date. A nice, very small, well-acted character-driven movie, not interested in making any political statements, and because we all already know The Rest Of The Story, the film can just focus on these two people and who they were at that precise moment in time. Great date movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 After having the DVD for over a year I finally got to watch The Hateful 8. Tarentino has a set of regulars that he uses and then he brings back someone who we may not have seen in a while. In the latter case it is Jennifer Jason Leigh. As L Marcus said lots of swearing and lots of blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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