Testy Area 51 (2 Viewers)

[Ruz-El]

I'm the big comic book nerd of the group and I'm so fatigued by the super hero movies I'm not even reading the books anymore! I don't even bother with going to the theater to see them, I wait for the discs to go on sale. I have Spiderman Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 sitting on the shelf. I might get to one of them this weekend. I wasn't crazy for Deadpool. Last one I really liked was Wonder Woman.

 

[Steve Christou]

[leaps majestically into frame, cape billowing] The funny thing is out of about 500 films released in cinemas each year only 6 or 7 are superhero movies. It may seem like a lot because they are successful and stay in theatres longer than they should.

Over 300 westerns were released in US cinemas between 1950 and 1953, I doubt anyone complained about 'cowboy fatigue' back then.

Moviegoers will eventually tire of them and they will fade away, probably replaced by something worse - Video Game Movies! Anyone?

 

[Walter Kittel]

I'm the big comic book nerd of the group and I'm so fatigued by the super hero movies I'm not even reading the books anymore! I don't even bother with going to the theater to see them, I wait for the discs to go on sale. I have Spiderman Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 sitting on the shelf. I might get to one of them this weekend. I wasn't crazy for Deadpool. Last one I really liked was Wonder Woman.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is well worth your time. It doesn't have the element of surprise that the first film enjoyed, but otherwise it was very entertaining and was a nice followup to the original film. More of the same, sure; but that isn't such a bad thing in this case.

I don't know the exact numbers (Steef says 6 or 7 a year) - but I agree that they (superhero films) seem to have an outsized presence in popular culture. I'm pretty sure those 300 Westerns released between '50 and '53 weren't hyped anywhere to the level of the current superhero franchise films. Plus in most of those Westerns the stakes might have been a homestead, a cattle drive, or possibly personal survival. None of those films had a plot that involved literally the fate of the entire world. Which is part of my problem with the increasingly large stakes these films utilize. Which can be fatiguing in its own right.

I guess I'm kind of talking out both sides of my mouth, considering the stakes of Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Oh well. At least I'm aware of the contradiction.

- Walter.

 

[Elizabeth S]

I think I'll save "Black Panther" for later viewing on Blu-ray or streaming. I've become a tad more selective in seeing things at the theater (especially since the closest one has changed to a more "boutique" place with high-backed chairs, pricier "reserved seating", no discount passes in the first 2 weeks, scarcity of parking since multi-million dollar condos are going up all over that area, etc.)

I did see "Game Night" this past weekend. It was a lot of fun. Some well done/edited action sequences for a comedy. Wish they didn't spell out some of the jokes, though -- we're not idiots.

Watched "Good Time" last night on Amazon streaming. Good role for Robert Pattinson, but really didn't care for it.

 

[Ruz-El]

I think the problem isn't "all superhero movies are boring" so much as it's a case of all the big hollywood films are franchises. So while The Hunger Games isn't a superhero film, it sure feels like one, ya know? They all play the same. Big stuff in the first, dire stuff in the second film, a resolve in the third. reboot for the fourth, dire stuff in the 5th, Star Trek Dirt Bikes in the 8th, Rocky trains Appolo's son in the 10th, they all blur together!

It's why I would rather watch Baby Driver than another superhero film. Sure, it falls apart at the end (oy, the ending, terrible!) but the ride is more interesting than more superhero wham bam, And I do like the superhero wham bams! I'm eventually watching them all.

that said, when the jar of piss from Batman Vs. Superman gets its standalone film reboot: SING ME UP!

 

[Mike Frezon]

It's why I would rather watch Baby Driver than another superhero film. Sure, it falls apart at the end (oy, the ending, terrible!) but the ride is more interesting than more superhero wham bam

I just watched Baby Driver a few weeks ago! SO MUCH FUN!!!

 

[Ruz-El]

I just watched Baby Driver a few weeks ago! SO MUCH FUN!!!

It's all the fun!

Olympics are OVER! Canada did really well for once! Now it's time for the Oscars! Who's gonna win? Who's going to lose? Will it be super political and annoying? Will Steve stay awake?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Will Steve stay awake?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Manchester England England
Across the Atlantic Sea
And I'm a genius genius
I believe in God
And I believe that God
Believes in Steve
That's me that's me

Now that I've dropped out
Why is life dreary dreary
Answer my weary query
Timothy Leary dearie

The rest is silence.

 

[Steve Christou]

It's snowing here in Manchester. Icy wind from Russia is to blame. They've dubbed it 'The Beast from the East'. Anyway hundreds of schools are closed all over Britain because of a few inches of snow. Damn those Russkies!!!

Oscars are nearly here. I will try and stay up for the show (which starts at 1.30am here) or maybe just tivo the damn thing and watch it the next day. The minus is avoiding news on the winners which may be impossible, the plus I can fast forward past all those ad breaks and endless speeches.

I'd be happy if Three Billboards or The Shape of Water or even Dunkirk won Best Picture. None of them huge favorites but better than the usual 'watch once and never again' winners of the show. Has anyone watched Lincoln, The Iron Lady, The King's Speech or even Argo again since their winning years? Your honor I rest my case.

Here's a live webcam of Abbey Road zebra crossing, made famous by The Beatles album cover. There are usually some silly twits taking photos of friends walking across.

https://www.earthcam.com/world/england/london/abbeyroad/?cam=abbeyroad_uk

 

[Ruz-El]

I'd be happy if Three Billboards or The Shape of Water or even Dunkirk won Best Picture. None of them huge favorites but better than the usual 'watch once and never again' winners of the show. Has anyone watched Lincoln or The King's Speech or even Argo again since their winning years? Your honor I rest my case.

HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH A STATEMENT!! OF COURSE I'VE WATCHED... erm.. .ummm... DAMN YOU!


More I think of it, the more I want GET OUT or SHAPE OF WATER to win. When else are horror/monster movies going to get a nom? It would be nice, eh? Only one I'd be upset with winning is DARKEST HOUR. I'm still FUMING in rage over that film![/QUOTE]

 

[Steve Christou]

I watched Get Out again a few days ago, I enjoyed it more the second time, maybe because I could tell what was coming?

If there's an upset and Get Out wins Best Picture I won't be upset, I might even cheer at the complete unlikeliness of this film even getting nominated for Best Picture let alone winning.

An Oscar voter over at Hollywood Reporter has posted his views on the nominated movies, he can be pretty blunt, here are some excerpts -

I didn't like Call Me by Your Name. From what I understand, there was less of a difference between the ages of the young boy and his lover in the book, but I have to tell you, in the movie version it looked like a 35- or 40-year-old guy was hitting on a 16- or 17-year-old boy, and it just seemed wrong. It would have been wrong if they were heterosexuals.

With The Post, Spielberg couldn't get out of his own f*cking way. He gave every actor business. ["Business" meaning physical actions beyond delivering lines.] I felt like he saw Birdman and said, "Let's do that, only I'm gonna make everybody fiddle about with something in their pocket or a cigarette or whatever." It killed me. It was a great story with a great cast that got over-Spielberg-ized.

Three Billboards [Outside Ebbing, Missouri]? Nothing was honest about that movie. The acting was superb, but the characters didn't seem real and the story seemed exactly like what it was: a Brit's version of America. I don't feel that if I went to Ebbing, Missouri, that is how it would be.

Get Out was a great, fun, entertaining genre film, but I don't read as much into it as others do.

Dunkirk looked great, but it was a little confusing, there wasn't enough of an emotional thread, and the drone of the airplane through the whole f*cking movie just drove me crazy. For me it just didn't fully work.

Part of the reason why I liked The Shape of Water more than the others is it's only "topical" in that it deals with outsiders, not racism or sexism or anything else. [Sally Hawkins' character] is in love with something different. Good for her. I was gobsmacked by the film.

My Vote:

1. The Shape of Water

2. Darkest Hour

3. Phantom Thread

4. Lady Bird

5. Dunkirk

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/l...tem/honest-oscar-ballot-best-director-1088405

 

[Ruz-El]

Darkest Hour in the second spot?!?!? That person is INSANE!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

It's snowing here in Manchester.

None of them huge favorites but better than the usual 'watch once and never again' winners of the show. Has anyone watched Lincoln, The Iron Lady, The King's Speech or even Argo again since their winning years? Your honor I rest my case.

Best Picture Oscars? I've watched GWTW, Casablanca, American in Paris, Gigi, West Side Story, Lawrence Of Arabia, My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, Patton, Chariots of Fire, and Out of Africa over and over again.

Oh you mean recent films. This court holds the defendant, Steve, in contempt.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Lady Bird in the 4th spot??!?!?! That person is insane!

 

[Ruz-El]

Lady Bird in the 4th spot??!?!?! That person is insane!

I still think it's crazy that I enjoyed that film so much. Surprised me!

 

[Walter Kittel]

Interesting question regarding revisits of Best Picture Winners. For me (in chronological year for the film)...

All Quiet on the Western Front
It Happened One Night
Mutiny on the Bounty
Gone with the Wind
Rebecca
Casablanca *
The Best Years of Our Lives
All About Eve
An American in Paris *
On the Waterfront
The Bridge on the River Kwai *
Ben-Hur *
Lawrence of Arabia *
My Fair Lady
The Sound of Music
Midnight Cowboy
Patton *
The French Connection
The Godfather *
The Sting
The Godfather Part II *
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Rocky *
The Deer Hunter
Chariots of Fire *
Amadeus
Platoon *
Rain Man
Dances with Wolves
The Silence of the Lambs *
Unforgiven *
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
The English Patient *
Titanic
Gladiator
LOTR: The Return of the King
The Departed
No Country For Old Men

and nothing since then. Guess Steve has got a point there.

The films with an * indicate films that have had in excess of ten viewings.

- Walter.

 

[Ruz-El]

You've seen The English Patient more than 10 times? What the hell is wrong with you!

 

[Walter Kittel]

Elizabeth mentioned Good Time with Robert Pattinson a few posts back. I watched this yesterday and enjoyed the ride that the film provides. I thought it was pretty well crafted, enjoyed the electronic score of the film and I have to admit that the filmmakers completely fooled me in terms of one character. Hook, line, and sinker.

I've enjoyed the harsher characters Pattinson has been playing in films such as Good Time and The Rover.

- Walter.

 

[Walter Kittel]

You've seen The English Patient more than 10 times? What the hell is wrong with you!

One of my all time favorite films. Easily a top five for me. No accounting for taste I suppose.

- Walter.