The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

For the discussion of movies and TV shows not distributed by Toho.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Spirit Ghidorah 2010 »

Gojira is just a fun B-movie about a giant fire-breathing lizard. Absolutely no hidden agenda about sending any anti-nuclear message.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by KManX89 »

I guess Paul Verhoven's RoboCop is just an ultra-gory B-movie about a rookie cop who comes back to life as a cyborg. No social commentary about commercialism or any of that jazz to be found whatsoever.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Angilasman »

I disagree with John Milius politically on just about every level, but I adore Conan the Barbadian, a Milius film that is essentially all about articulating his philosophy of life. The fact he believes so deeply in his macho BS translates into the film - you believe because he believes. If you can't love a film that's diametrically opposed to your politics you're a lightweight in my opinion.

Anyway, I watched all previous Fast and the Furious films this past week then saw F9 in theaters today. Dig 'em: action soap opera, extended action scenes and old-fashioned melodrama! It's so refreshing, and I think it's because nerds have overlooked this franchise and thus haven't ruined it. Roman and Letty are probably my favorite characters (besides Dom, naturally).

This movie did come uncomfortably close to ironic meta comedy, which, as we all know, is a scourge of modern filmmaking. The character of Roman begins to realize how unlikely the things they've been doing in these movies have become, and it becomes something of a recurring joke. Thankfully, this minor subplot climaxes with him giving a kind of soliloquy about how they should be thankful for how lucky they've been, which I felt was a rejection of cynicism in modern pop culture.

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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Rando Yaguchi »

eabaker wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 8:50 am
o.supreme wrote: Sun Jul 04, 2021 9:10 pm
eabaker wrote: Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:25 am

Then it seems like a potential with a lot of promise was somewhat squandered.
Why would anyone want to watch a movie with an alterior motive? They are supposed to be fun, not about pushing an agenda.
Who decides what the intent of an entire artistic medium should be? And why must an underlying message be perceived as an "ulterior motive" (that implies dishonesty) or "pushing an agenda" (that implies polemicization)? In your opinion, is it wrong for a movie to have any kind of theme, to explore any kind of individual or social concerns? And there's nothing mutually exclusive about having a message and being fun; the two can walk hand in hand quite comfortably, and often do. Jurassic Park doesn't cease to be fun just because it offers a superficial examination of the relationship between technology and nature. King Kong vs. Godzilla doesn't cease to be fun because it comments on crass commercialism. Seven Samurai is tremendously fun, even as it explores class differences and the relationship between the individual and the community.

Besides all that, realistically the movie certainly does have some underlying message or messages, whether the filmmakers intended it to or not, whether they meaningfully explored those messages or not. Whether by design or by accident, all storytelling is in a sense a political act; every story presents a status quo, introduces a change, and takes some perspective on the merits of that change. A responsible storyteller should always be aware of what messages a work is likely to send, because someone is going to pick up on them, whether they're supposed to be there or not.
...damn. Classic Eabaker shit right here.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

I watched Censor (2021) last night. Absolutely fantastic film, though I could see it not being for everyone.
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Definitely just a standard murder mystery film, and nothing to do as a commentary on British censorship of Videonasties.

Eabaker is right, but I do think there's a place for movies with no underlying messages. That shouldn't be required of films to be inherently good, and there's plenty of action/horror films that don't really have any underlying themes, but I think most films get a boost by having an interesting thematic inspiration or stylization. Reversely, I think that people complain about films "pandering", when themes or messages to think about, are inserted into a film AFTER the original inspiration and concept are made, or are doing so just to pander (to either end of the political spectrum).

Films like Robocop, Get Out, Censor, Godzilla, etc... are fantastic because they seamlessly incorporate their narrative into their message, while also being fantastic genre films.

I might still watch the Tomorrow War, but without looking up too much, I can already see an interesting premise squandered. Being drafted into a future war raises a lot of very distinct moral and philosophical questions that would be really interesting to think about while also being an action flick.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by eabaker »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:48 pm Eabaker is right, but I do think there's a place for movies with no underlying messages.
Yeah, I'd like to clarify here that I was responding about a specific movie with a premise that screams for some kind of subtext/social commentary. As you said, "Being drafted into a future war raises a lot of very distinct moral and philosophical questions that would be really interesting to think about while also being an action flick."
That shouldn't be required of films to be inherently good, and there's plenty of action/horror films that don't really have any underlying themes
I think a case could be made that, in the absence of any other particular messages/themes, movies in these genres tend - again, not necessarily by design - to present socially conservative (even at times fascistic or xenophobic) themes.

Which, of course, means that a lot of my favorite movies are also ones with which I fundamentally ideologically disagree, but it doesn't necessarily prevent me from enjoying the storytelling.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by JAGzilla »

The Wizard of Oz (1939). It had been a minute since I'd seen it, longer than I'd realized. I didn't get the Oreo guards reference in Wreck-It Ralph, so... yeah. That long. :lol: Anyway, it goes without saying that it's a wonderful movie. A timeless classic that holds up perfectly even eight decades later.

Also, the VHS transfers must've been absolutely abysmal. That's the only way a clear-as-day crowned crane could be interpreted as a munchkin hanging himself.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by KManX89 »

I'm doing something daring, guys, I'm actually eating my dinner while watching Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the original (as if the spelling didn't give it away). Yes, I'm fully prepared to throw up in my mouth, it's that damn good that I'll watch it anywhere, anytime, especially come Halloween season, a true horror classic. The dinner scene is easily one of the most memorable, and outright disturbing moments in horror history. The characters are all kinda throwaway, but the masterfully-done horror kinda makes up for it.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by eabaker »

KManX89 wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:35 pm I'm doing something daring, guys, I'm actually eating my dinner while watching Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the original (as if the spelling didn't give it away). Yes, I'm fully prepared to throw up in my mouth, it's that damn good that I'll watch it anywhere, anytime, especially come Halloween season, a true horror classic. The dinner scene is easily one of the most memorable, and outright disturbing moments in horror history. The characters are all kinda throwaway, but the masterfully-done horror kinda makes up for it.
I would not describe Franklin as a throw-away character. A goddamn nightmare to be around, maybe.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Last night I watched Chinatown and The Parallax View without knowing the former destroyed the latter at the box office within a few weeks of eachother, apparently to the chagrin of Alan Pakula, who was friends with the producer on Chinatown, feeling his movie was screwed over by more resources being given to push Polanski's film.
I've seen Chinatown before, it's a rarity in that it's pretty enjoyable even bearing Polanski's crimes in mind, but Parallax is one of those revelatory movies in terms of filmmaking that serves the story to a T.
Unfortunately I think Parallax was ahead of it's time, it seems most critics didn't really get it. Thankfully, it seems to have been heavily reevaluated in recent years, probably with the rise in public awareness of organizations like Blackwater. It was nice to see a film where the conspiracy isn't strictly the government, but the blurred lines between corporations that don't answer to any laws and the political sphere.
eabaker wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:57 am I would not describe Franklin as a throw-away character. A goddamn nightmare to be around, maybe.
Franklin was the whiny guy in the wheelchair right?
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by eabaker »

Major sssspielberg! wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:59 am
eabaker wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:57 am I would not describe Franklin as a throw-away character. A goddamn nightmare to be around, maybe.
Franklin was the whiny guy in the wheelchair right?
Correct.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by goji89 »

eabaker wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:28 am
Major sssspielberg! wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:59 am
eabaker wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:57 am I would not describe Franklin as a throw-away character. A goddamn nightmare to be around, maybe.
Franklin was the whiny guy in the wheelchair right?
Correct.
Oh, then he's not a throw-away character, he's a Roll-away character........
.....
Am I right....?

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Post by Voyager »

The Tomorrow War. I thought it was fun, but it felt like 2 different movies.
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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Al Diplodocus »

I just watched the Truman Show, and it was A. May. Zing! Acting was supurb, especially from Jim Carrey and the themes were deep and brillliant.

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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

I saw Roadrunner this weekend in the theater. It was funny, sad, and inspiring.
For those unfamiliar, it's a documentary about Anthony Bourdain, and sort of "about" the end of his life, though most of the film is leading up to that. I'd almost call it a celebration of his life. The creators used an AI to recreate his voice for the purpose of reading emails and messages as narration, which has certainly stirred up a fair ethical debate. It was hard for me to notice, since I was in a gorgeous theater and the material had me riveted.
Overall, if you have even a passing appreciation for Anthony Bourdain, his writing, his shows, whatever, I would highly recommend you check Roadrunner out.
And... not to be preachy, but check on your friends. Sometimes they seem difficult, sometimes they don't even let you know, but it's better to try and deal with it now than to have to miss them when they're already gone. Life is tough, and it's really easy to feel alone.
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Post by Rando Yaguchi »

Parasite - My first time seeing Bong Joon-ho film, and yeah, it's great. Not quite the masterpiece I was expecting, but pretty close. 8/10

Okja - Also directed by Bong...I've wanted to see it for years (the trailer is excellent), and man was it a let-down. The beginning is good, and the ending has a couple of nice moments, but the rest is a goofy, tonally-confused mess. Doesn't feel like the same writer/director either - almost everything about it just felt *off*, whereas Parasite runs like a well-oiled machine. 5/10
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Post by Voyager »

Luca. Nothing special. Just an average Pixar movie.
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Post by BiitoreinGoji94 »

Just watched Jungle Cruise on Disney+. It was really fun. I liked Lily, she seemed cool. The Rock was great as always. MacGregor was likeable. I've heard people comparing this to Pirates of the Caribbean and The Mummy and I can see why, but is it really a detriment? I don't think so.

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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Angilasman »

The Green Knight is an all-timer! Will go down as one of the great folklore movies along with films like Pan's Labyrinth, Viy, and Kwaidan.

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Re: The Latest Movie/TV show You Watched Topic 2.0

Post by Voyager »

The Little Rascals from 1994. I wanted to revisit a childhood favourite and I slowly remembered why I loved this movie so much as a young child.
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