Oh so that's what the 'A' in LGBTQA is for!
Seriously though, tell me about it. Imagine wearing that handmade fedora to Christmas dinner. Oh boy the looks.
Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched
- Thread starter Th3Ch33s3Cak3
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Seriously though, tell me about it. Imagine wearing that handmade fedora to Christmas dinner. Oh boy the looks.
No that's not what the A stands for, but it's a very common reaction, for a person who comes out as atheist, to be kicked out by their family. And depending on the country they live in, they could actually be at risk of death for apostasy, as has happened for several vocal atheists in certain regions of the world. Here in the US, the more common negative reaction, is for the family to cast them out, because they think their "ever forgiving god" will frown upon them, or punish them, for not casting out the heathen. Less likely to be beaten to death like the LGBTQA+ crowd, but they can still find themselves completely isolated from their support structures, possibly losing their job, family, scholarships, etc. So not that great.
Surge (digital purchase, Prime)
Very disorientating, a potent cocktail of anxiety, cringe and heartbreak peppered with tiny moments of humour. Ben Wishaw energetically plays a troubled London airline security officer who experiences an unraveling of a mental breakdown of which we follow through the next 24 hours. I suppose it would be a far more grounded, restrained version of The Joker when looked at from some angles. It is a panicked journey, with sympathies bouncing between the main character and the poor buggers unfortunately caught in his manic vicinity, held together by impressive performances. Though I'd warn anyone sensitive to motion sickness might not accomodate so well with the intentionally jerky camera throughout. Except for that one moment at a club where it remains perfectly still as it slowly zooms in, that's about as smooth as it gets. But otherwise, a good job! I don't think it will be for everyone, but it was an emotionally interesting ride for me.
Flashback (or 'The Education of Frederick Fitzell'?) (Digital purchase, Prime)
To be brief, main 'sort of happily settled' dude Dylan O'Brien starts remembering a girl called Cindy who all but disappeared from his high school days after experimenting with a mysterious drug called 'Mercury.' So he attempts to find others to help figure out what occured during those memory-inhibited moments. Ok, while not perfect and saddled with a fairly uninteresting main character, it does start presenting more ambitious attention-grabbing ideas past a certain point which I don't want to spoil here. By the end, there are multiple ways to read into what occured and what they're going for, and it has succeeded in taking up some mental real-estate after the film stops. I will say that as soon as "Cindy" appeared on screen, my first thought was "she is not a real person, and 'Cindy' is such a fake name!" Yet, when the credits came around, I still couldn't confidently say whether that assumption was correct in the end.
One annoying immersion-breaking nitpick, however, of which many films are guilty of, needs to be seriously addressed here...
*Rolls up thick and weighty newspaper for disapproving head bops*
Very disorientating, a potent cocktail of anxiety, cringe and heartbreak peppered with tiny moments of humour. Ben Wishaw energetically plays a troubled London airline security officer who experiences an unraveling of a mental breakdown of which we follow through the next 24 hours. I suppose it would be a far more grounded, restrained version of The Joker when looked at from some angles. It is a panicked journey, with sympathies bouncing between the main character and the poor buggers unfortunately caught in his manic vicinity, held together by impressive performances. Though I'd warn anyone sensitive to motion sickness might not accomodate so well with the intentionally jerky camera throughout. Except for that one moment at a club where it remains perfectly still as it slowly zooms in, that's about as smooth as it gets. But otherwise, a good job! I don't think it will be for everyone, but it was an emotionally interesting ride for me.
Flashback (or 'The Education of Frederick Fitzell'?) (Digital purchase, Prime)
To be brief, main 'sort of happily settled' dude Dylan O'Brien starts remembering a girl called Cindy who all but disappeared from his high school days after experimenting with a mysterious drug called 'Mercury.' So he attempts to find others to help figure out what occured during those memory-inhibited moments. Ok, while not perfect and saddled with a fairly uninteresting main character, it does start presenting more ambitious attention-grabbing ideas past a certain point which I don't want to spoil here. By the end, there are multiple ways to read into what occured and what they're going for, and it has succeeded in taking up some mental real-estate after the film stops. I will say that as soon as "Cindy" appeared on screen, my first thought was "she is not a real person, and 'Cindy' is such a fake name!" Yet, when the credits came around, I still couldn't confidently say whether that assumption was correct in the end.
One annoying immersion-breaking nitpick, however, of which many films are guilty of, needs to be seriously addressed here...
*Rolls up thick and weighty newspaper for disapproving head bops*
Stop.
Making.
Young.
Actors.
Wear.
Old.
People.
Make-up!
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The Men Who Stare At Goats: I Saw It / I Hadn't Previously
Apparently based on true events, a tale about a man documenting the goings on of an experimental psyops branch of the military. I guess it being largely true is the reason they made the film because its absurdity is about all the movie has going for it. It's largely uninteresting and wacky, neither of which to any appreciable extent.
Apparently based on true events, a tale about a man documenting the goings on of an experimental psyops branch of the military. I guess it being largely true is the reason they made the film because its absurdity is about all the movie has going for it. It's largely uninteresting and wacky, neither of which to any appreciable extent.
I remember reading somewhere that this was part of Cold War shenanigans, the Soviets convince the US that the Soviets are taking psychic research seriously, and then the US wastes time and money on stuff like this to compete.
That was the case. The US military expending time and money convinced troops could be trained to use their minds as weapons. It's a ridiculous as it sounds and as ridiculous as this movie is.
I recall that movie being incredibly goofy as hell, up until they show you some of the bad pysch stuff being done to people, with the isolation + sensory overload with horrible music/etc. That was a very small, but dark as hell thread, in the otherwise ridiculous film.
I didn't know what to expect going in, but I certainly didn't expect what I got. Felt like a lot of wasted star power. Clooney and Spacey alone could carry a film, but given that ridiculousness to work with... they did their best? I dunno. I think it would have been better served as an actual documentary instead of a fictional film based on real events; wouldn't mind learning our government isn't beyond stupidity and naiveté (I know, mind blown, right?) but fictionalizing that fact for entertainment purposes felt like a fool's errand, like paying what was certainly a multi-million dollar budget to re-enact a slightly interesting dream some guy somewhere had one time.
I think I just sort of categorized it mentally as films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and The Big Lebowski. Just, bizarre, off the wall projects, that had a really strange premise in mind, and a collection of great actors to carry the acting weight for such a weird script.
Never saw Fear and Loathing, but I did watch The Big Lebowski, and I can say honestly, I'm one of the plebs who just didn't get it. It just felt like a film wherein stuff happened. I felt out on most of the jokes and to this day don't understand the cult following it has. If that's the type of audience that Men Who Stare At Goats was going for, then I understand why it didn't click with me. It's billed as a dark comedy; maybe I don't know what "dark comedy" is? I Care Too Much was another "dark comedy," apparently; I liked the movie for the most part, but found absolutely zero humor to be had outside of the absurdly vicious nature of the main characters.
As someone who is an ordained Dudist Priest, I can say that, at least for me, it's a sequence of moments, that some hit for your really well, and some don't. I can't say the entire film, from start to finish, is enjoyable for me, but it has certain scenes, that in isolation, just click for me. Like, I can't explain why The Dude, repeating "That's a bummer man" the second time, but in a higher register, because he's holding in a joint hit, makes me laugh, but it does.
I'd say being a pot smoker for many years leading up to that film, and for a while after, had a lot to do for it's personal appeal. But other little things, like how Walter just reflexively always replies to anything out of Donny's mouth with a condescending comment, except for that one bit about the bowling schedule. Where you see it's just as much HE'S not listening either because he stops mid rant "....what do you mean on Sunday?' How Donny is basically just like a guy that me and my friends hang out with for decades, who is just always not listening to the overall conversation, and is trying to catch up by asking us what we're talking about. How The Dude looks just like my brother has at various points in his life and hair regimen. How Walter will rant about the way veterans are treated, and never shuts the fuck up about Vietnam, is SO like tons of my clients at work, who just will NOT shut up about it. How The Dude genuinely agrees to go see his landlord's one man art show, and seems genuinely interested in it. To the point of telling Walter to shut up so he can focus. How he just wants to live his life, not be hassled, smoke some pot, have some white russians, and bowl. And that is all he really wants from life. That he is content with it.
I dunno. It's, sort of how it's a microcosm of humanity, where the biggest aspect of their lives, is bowling. A collection of ridiculous people who are, all still pretty realistic in a lot of their details, but with a few things ramped up to 11 for comedic value.
I only watched it once several years ago, so those myriad details escape me, but I guess I can buy its appeal to certain people. I was married to a pothead at the time, and I DO recall her being more entertained by it than I was and a general feeling that it was a stupid as she was, so maybe my associating the movie with the biggest mistake of my life gives it a bad rap in my mind, i.e. the clip below. Might have to watch it again and give it a fair shot free of pothead resentment?
Duplex: Funny / Great
Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play landlord to a seemingly sweet old lady who is actually a nightmare. It’s Ben Stiller, so you know what you’re getting: a lot of often crude jokes at his expense as he plays a sympathetic oaf with the deck firmly stacked against him. I don’t know why his films appeal to me; maybe it’s how utterly predictable and formulaic they are, like, you could line all his films up and just consider them a franchise, and like many others, this one got some laughs out of me.
Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play landlord to a seemingly sweet old lady who is actually a nightmare. It’s Ben Stiller, so you know what you’re getting: a lot of often crude jokes at his expense as he plays a sympathetic oaf with the deck firmly stacked against him. I don’t know why his films appeal to me; maybe it’s how utterly predictable and formulaic they are, like, you could line all his films up and just consider them a franchise, and like many others, this one got some laughs out of me.
....is that from It's Always Sunny? That scene seems callously cruel and mean spirited enough to be from IAS. I wouldn't say it's the same kind of humor as Lewbowski. IAS makes a point, from the few bits I've seen, to just be mean at all times, and show you horrible people being horrible. Lewbowski isn't doing that. It's just showing you people, being people. Some good, some bad, some just, somewhere in the middle. It's not trying to highlight, apparently her dislike of someone with a mental issue. At least that's my assumption given the stereotypes they throw on that guy. Curled fingers, childish behavior, loves his mom, insanely amused by children's cartoons, and the clip name, all scream disability.
Yes, it is from IASIP, but it wasn't a direct comparison to The Big Lebowski; I was making the point about my watching it with my [then] stoner wife; she clearly "got it" at a level I wasn't prepared to meet her at.
And the episode of IASIP is "Dee's Dating a Retard." Spoiler, he's not disabled, and Dee eats a shit-ton of crow by then end, but yeah, IASIP is about shitty people doing shitty things and paying for it episodically despite logical continuity mandating they should all be in prison after 14 seasons of their behavior. None of them are meant to be likeable; hell, they overtly don't even like each other; they're just a bunch of assholes, and watching them get their comeuppance paired with some oft clever writing is the gag.
Nah, he just looks a bit goofy when chilling and laughing. The rest of the gang convinces her he's mentally disabled, and she starts believing it, because she's clueless and self absorbed enough.
Later the guy disses her for being afraid of "dating a retard" in a rap battle, in front of everyone.
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The Doorman
An action movie with Ruby Rose and Jean Reno. 3/5 for the movie itself, it's a bog standard B action movie. 1/5 for some of the worst written dialogue I've ever heard. Just truly awful.
An action movie with Ruby Rose and Jean Reno. 3/5 for the movie itself, it's a bog standard B action movie. 1/5 for some of the worst written dialogue I've ever heard. Just truly awful.
Princess Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies.
Princess Mononoke was kind of a strange movie, we're thrown into a world where spirits and humans are at war with eachother. The protagonist is kind of strange because he is desperately straddling the line between the two groups, and keeps on trying to save the leader of the iron foundry as she goes on to worse and worse crimes. It's kind of strange that neither of the two people responsible for killing the deer god really get any sort of comeuppance. I guess the one loses her arm, but the other guy gets off scott free. Kind of strange, I'm not really sure what the message was supposed to be.
Grave of the Fireflies. Jesus Christ! Up until now, all I've seen of Ghibli was Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. All of them were kind of feel good movies with nice happy endings. Grave of the Fireflies was grim depression and grief distilled into 90 minutes. Thank god it was so short or I wouldn't have made it through. I'd heard it was a depressing movie, but I wasn't prepared for that from Ghibli. I'm not sure if I've ever watched another film so miserable. I wonder what was the cause of Setsuko's illness, though? The doctor said malnutrition because of the diarrhea, but what was the diarrhea from? And her rash was there before they even left the aunts house and were still getting regular meals.
Princess Mononoke was kind of a strange movie, we're thrown into a world where spirits and humans are at war with eachother. The protagonist is kind of strange because he is desperately straddling the line between the two groups, and keeps on trying to save the leader of the iron foundry as she goes on to worse and worse crimes. It's kind of strange that neither of the two people responsible for killing the deer god really get any sort of comeuppance. I guess the one loses her arm, but the other guy gets off scott free. Kind of strange, I'm not really sure what the message was supposed to be.
Grave of the Fireflies. Jesus Christ! Up until now, all I've seen of Ghibli was Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. All of them were kind of feel good movies with nice happy endings. Grave of the Fireflies was grim depression and grief distilled into 90 minutes. Thank god it was so short or I wouldn't have made it through. I'd heard it was a depressing movie, but I wasn't prepared for that from Ghibli. I'm not sure if I've ever watched another film so miserable. I wonder what was the cause of Setsuko's illness, though? The doctor said malnutrition because of the diarrhea, but what was the diarrhea from? And her rash was there before they even left the aunts house and were still getting regular meals.
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Lady Eboshi kind of gets a pass because she’s out to make life better for her people; a town comprised of lepers, whores and probably other ne’er do wells of circumstance. Most of whom are women in a country that still struggles with its treatment of its women in modern day, never mind the feudal period the movie is in. But she’s also a hyper expansionist industrialist who cares little for nature beyond how it helps feed her industry.
Jigo (the government agent) gets away scott free because he’s a slippery bastard who doesn’t play by the rules and the movie isn’t interested in lying about how often his ilk actually get what the deserve. Then again, he did utterly fuck up getting the head for the Emperor: so it could be the only thing waiting for him back in Kyoto is the executioner’s block.
Lots of grey areas. You don't fully agree with either sides are doing, but you understand why they're doing it. Either as payback, revenge, desperation, trying to live ones life, protecting your people/spirits, etc. The cycle of violence and revenge. This is my favorite Ghibli movie, along with Castle In The Sky.
The best ending ever in this context.
Nothing more than guilt trip movie for the Japanese delinquents from the 1980s. It was never meant for us.