Movies + TV series: Past and New Recommendation

[Nonc Hilaire]

My daughter spent half an hour gushing over the Barbie movie. It sounds like the script is wonderful, witty and deeply detailed.

I started watching Shantaram on AppleTV because the book was an enchanting and complex story set in mid 20C Bombay but the series disappoints. Thin atmosphere, poor acting and amateurish direction. All the plot points crammed unartistically together, but it also manages to make Bombay tedious which is not easily accomplished.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The Last Psychiatrist has stirred and is now posting movie reviews:

[Parodite]

Oppenheimer in IMAX theatre, I wasn't bored for 3 hours, ie my senses were kept busy and entertained. "A three hour long trailer" is a pretty apt description. Flat story line to the point of being a bit pointless.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Saw The Equalizer 3: no equations were solved in the making of this movie.

I've not seen the first two, so the whole thing was new to me and I found it disorienting.

There are no characters in the whole movie. Denzel Washington is one of the last movie stars and all of that, but even he is not charismatic enough to pull it off. I'm told that the first 2 movies are like that too.

He's an avenging angel who is the perfect killer of bad guys and he does that at the beginning and end of the movie and the middle are tourist shots of Italy. He has some vague sense of guilt or history that just is. The bad guys twirl mustaches but he takes care of them so easily that there is no tension whatsoever.

The deaths are gory and gruesome, but I wouldn't say that are spectacularly filmed.

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I caught about half of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Leonardo DiCaprio is really good in the role but the rest of the movie just wasn't grabbing my attention. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood but what I saw came across as a jumbled mess.

It is as if the movie thinks there are many interesting things to covey but there is no focus or articulation on any of it. And despite all the public relations sensitivity, including getting Sharon Tate's sister's stamp of approval; from where it looked to be heading, I don't see how it's not exploitive-- even knowing the 'what if' fantasy ending of the film.

[noddy]

I struggle with revenge flicks because you usually have to sit throught the tedious first 1/3 of the movie that they go through the motions setting up the situation that needs to be revenged upon.

this was John Wicks great innovation, getting all that crap out of the way super quick and then getting on to the action set pieces and funny one liners that are the actual meat of the entertainment (if any is to be found)

Alas, whilst the first one was a surprise bit of action fun - the second one got worse, fleshing out the things that should have remained mysterious and the third one jumped the shark, going even furthur down that route.

mystery boxes dont like being opened, and you cant keep them closed either - what you can do is end it after one movie and leave it at that, avoiding both of those outcomes.

Their is a apparently a 4th one now, I cant see me making any effort to see it at all

[noddy]

Tarantinos schtick is tiring now, in hindsight Id say Kill Bill is probably the most silly and fun of them and Resevoir Dogs the most coherant.

His brand of dialog was kind of fun at first but hasnt gone anywhere, sort of like Guy Ritchie in that regard.

[Typhoon]

Tarantinos schtick is tiring now, in hindsight Id say Kill Bill is probably the most silly and fun of them and Resevoir Dogs the most coherant.

His brand of dialog was kind of fun at first but hasnt gone anywhere, sort of like Guy Ritchie in that regard.

Tarantino. Haven't seen Reservoir Dogs, did enjoy Pulp Fiction. Everything post PF, meh.

Guy Ritchie. Having gangsters talk like elite Etonians is entertaining.
On the other hand, perhaps it's the culture and upbringing.
British rock stars being interviewed are often surprisingly articulate and insightful.

Anyways, a film in the Guy Ritchie Brit-gangster genre, not by GR, that I enjoyed is The Bank Job.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The revenge movies only work too when the audience buys into some consensus that the actor playing the role is fundamentally kind or good- image wise.

Pace the very famous Pauline Kael essay about Charles Bronson and Death Wish being some sick fascist production; people go along with it because people liked Chuck and figured, "Why not? Chuck's a good guy, if he says people need blowing away, they probably need blowing away."

[Typhoon]

The revenge movies only work too when the audience buys into some consensus that the actor playing the role is fundamentally kind or good- image wise.

Pace the very famous Pauline Kael essay about Charles Bronson and Death Wish being some sick fascist production;

Q: What is the definition of a born-again conservative?

A: A liberal who has been mugged.

I guess Pauline Kael never experienced a NY mugging.

people go along with it because people liked Chuck and figured, "Why not? Chuck's a good guy, if he says people need blowing away, they probably need blowing away."

Indeed.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Second Trailer for Ridley Scott's Napoleon

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Tarantinos schtick is tiring now, in hindsight Id say Kill Bill is probably the most silly and fun of them and Resevoir Dogs the most coherant.

His brand of dialog was kind of fun at first but hasnt gone anywhere, sort of like Guy Ritchie in that regard.

Tarantino. Haven't seen Reservoir Dogs, did enjoy Pulp Fiction. Everything post PF, meh.

Guy Ritchie. Having gangsters talk like elite Etonians is entertaining.
On the other hand, perhaps it's the culture and upbringing.
British rock stars being interviewed are often surprisingly articulate and insightful.

Anyways, a film in the Guy Ritchie Brit-gangster genre, not by GR, that I enjoyed is The Bank Job.

Yes. I don't find anything interesting about Tarantino past Jackie Brown.

Guy Ritchie has made a lot of junk past his first few gangster films. Don't think there was as much pretense in the art though when he was knocking out Sherlock Holmes or Man from UNCLE or Aladdin movies.

We recently watched Ritchie's "The Covenant" it was a good thriller.

It's about an Afghani interpreter who saves the life of a US solider after the two were caught in 2 ambushes and their unit decimated. With the occasional help of anti-Taliban locals, the interpreter carries the solider the 60+ miles back towards US territory while evading capture by the Taliban, who are on the hunt for them.

After the solider is airlifted home and in the process of recuperating, he learns that his escape has become a bit of a local legend while the man and his family have been forced into hiding. Unable to cut through the bureaucracy to get the interpreter out of Afghanistan, he decides to head back himself and get the family out of there (the mercenaries he hired under a pseudonym abandon him for what they think a bigger client.)

[noddy]

john wick 4, the king of revenge movies was out on streaming today, perfect for sitting on the couch in a sweaty fever haze.

1 - a great little movie
2 - argh, what are you doing
3 - please, dont.

4 is kinda interesting, a massive return to form on some levels, the movie which isnt action set pieces is far more coherant and enjoyable than 2 or 3, Donnie Yen is a million times better as an action side kick than Halle Berry, maybe im being unfair, maybe it a billion.

then the set pieces went on a bit too long - could have cut 30 minutes of them , maybe more.

they are top notch but their is only so many ways you can watch minions got splat.

[Typhoon]

Well, I did finally watch "Oppenheimer".

Out in the aether of the internet.

My review. It was okay for a melodrama about the individual.

A general point about security.
Once it was known that a nuclear device could be built, it was only a matter of time before Stalinist-Russia and even Maoist-China
developed their own. Whatever information hopelessly naive physicists and others, such as Klaus Fuchs, provided only sped up the process by a few years, at most.

Same with the nuclear fusion H-bomb.

The Trinity nuclear test looked like a chemical explosion.
Would have done better to use the actual film from the real Trinity test.

The most interesting part of the film for me was near the ending.
The Senate confirmation hearing for Lewis Strauss contrasted with the sharp observations that Einstein makes to Oppenheimer during their conversation, interspersed with scenes of Oppenheimer receiving the [US] Enrico Fermi Award from POTUS Johnson, is very good.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (AI Reconstruction)

Some call it the "holy grail of lost media". The above is "[a]n animated reconstruction of the first two scenes of "London After Midnight" based on the script, existing photos, and a bit of imagination, using AI and simple DeepFake tools."

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Watched the Detectorist 2022 Christmas Special a week or so ago.

Picks up five years after the end of the last series.

The first third is dedicated to reintroducing the characters and where they're at 5 years since the show ended.

It is slow going between the reintroduction and establishment of the plot- thought they'd dropped the ball- but it picks up and the payoff was very good.

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After that, I turned on Master and Commander as I've not seen that since it was in the theater.

I appreciate it more now that when I saw it. While not a great movie, it's a very good one with perfect casting with (a younger) Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany playing the exact right character roles for them.

--------------

Since then, the missus turned on It's a Wonderful Life at some point, which really needs to no commentary.

Then tried to watch the latest season of the Crown and couldn't get past episode one. "Diana is dull" says she, despite being the center-of-attention character that all the costume melodrama is built around.

So she turned that off and went with Liam Neeson: On a Plane (and then on a Train!)

In these films, so my understanding goes, Liam Neeson is a down on his luck and has let his family down, when a convoluted terrorist plot breaks out around him and things just get worse and worse until he finally triumphs in the end.

[Typhoon]

. . .

After that, I turned on Master and Commander as I've not seen that since it was in the theater.

I appreciate it more now that when I saw it. While not a great movie, it's a very good one with perfect casting with (a younger) Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany playing the exact right character roles for them.

--------------

Since then, the missus turned on It's a Wonderful Life at some point, which really needs to no commentary.

. . .

Thought "Master and Commander" was brilliant. An accurate portrayal of life before the mast.

The older I get, the more I think that

"It's a Wonderful Life" and "Blue Velvet" should be a double feature.

_____

Zen [BBC] | Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino

No idea why this outstanding detective series was cancelled after only three episodes.
Perhaps it was to close to reality for the paisanos and got their backs up.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Monsieur Spade

"The year is 1963, and the legendary Detective Sam Spade is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco, Spade's life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet. But the rumored return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been brutally murdered at the local convent. As the town grieves, secrets emerge, and new leads are established. Spade learns that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child who is believed to possess great powers."

So far, so good. I think there are 2 more episodes yet to air as of this post.

It is a bold move to make it a direct sequel to The Maltese Falcon. The dialogue has a good, snappy pace to it and the cast is phenomenal. What's strange is making a neo-noir without the noir cinematography.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Zen [BBC] | Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino

No idea why this outstanding detective series was cancelled after only three episodes.
Perhaps it was to close to reality for the paisanos and got their backs up.

Too many male detectives for the BBC's liking

[Typhoon]

Zen [BBC] | Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino

No idea why this outstanding detective series was cancelled after only three episodes.
Perhaps it was to close to reality for the paisanos and got their backs up.

Too many male detectives for the BBC's liking

Wow.

The [now former] BBC One Controller Danny Cohen is an abject woke wanker.

The former BBC presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, has been highly critical of Cohen, stating: "Everybody thinks that the BBC was a bloody nightmare. It wasn't. Cohen was. The BBC was brilliant to work for until the arrival of Mr. Cohen. They never really interfered at all. But he was a bloody nuisance and caused me an enormous amount of stress".

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Monsieur Spade

"The year is 1963, and the legendary Detective Sam Spade is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco, Spade's life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet. But the rumored return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been brutally murdered at the local convent. As the town grieves, secrets emerge, and new leads are established. Spade learns that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child who is believed to possess great powers."

So far, so good. I think there are 2 more episodes yet to air as of this post.

It is a bold move to make it a direct sequel to The Maltese Falcon. The dialogue has a good, snappy pace to it and the cast is phenomenal. What's strange is making a neo-noir without the noir cinematography.

Finished the series:

I think it peters out. They didn't really have enough material for a 6-ish hour miniseries; shame really.

[Heracleum Persicum]

.

Am sure all of you have watched The Russians Are Coming directed and produced by Norman Jewison for United Artists


The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming

.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

A few of us went out and saw Dune Part 2; think it elevates the 1st part which, going by memory, was somewhat uneven. This was consistently good throughout and breezes by despite it's 2 hour and 45 minute runtime.

As a whole, it's a very beautifully shot movie with good performances and perhaps the best adaptation* of the Dune story to date.

Now there is an alleged part 3 in the works from Dennis Villeneuve, based on subsequent books; and it will be, for him, a self-contained trilogy.


*That should be taken with a grain of salt though because the Dune series is not something I've an attachment for. Dune fanatics very well may disagree.

[noddy]

My only real memory of Dune as a book was that the first 1 (or 2?) books are the earliest example I became aware of back in the day of the modern edge-lord/shitpost stuff in which the hero is really the villain, intentionally or not.

nowdays this is the norm, the boys, game of thrones, too many comic book heros to mention -- ooh aah, how spicey,

the other thing I remember is the books heading off into lala land once the main story in that initial book petered out.

.. its always been massively overrated to me, but I do like that guys visual style so will probably enjoy the movie - I enjoyed the first one just fine, despite being indifferent to the material.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Indifferent is a good way of putting it. It's hard to root for any one; maybe the bedouins of Dune but the story goes out of its way to hold them in a pitiable contempt- everyone is contemptable when not filled with dread. The dangers of fanaticism and hero-worship or messianic fervor (or however one wants to put it) is there but the story gave us the impression that the author's world has a strong division of "things that are cool" and "things that lame" that are then rationalized into meaning something more than that. I don't believe the story -- as someone I went with asked, "where are the robots? All this technology and magic and no robots. It doesn't add up." Maybe there are robots in the books; but omissions tell as much as what the fantasy focuses on:

Palace intrigue and noble houses and knife fights are cool. A lot of other things aren't cool, 'specially if they interfere with cool knife fights.

There is a sense that this is what George Lucas prequel trilogy were supposed to be like.

[noddy]

except he chickened out on the edgy villain reveal by making it a backstory instead of shock reveal.

which is exactly the kind of bland copout you would expect from him.