Whatcha Been Watching?

This is the place where you can conflab about all the other stuff besides videogames
User avatar
Caligulas Horse
Member
Posts: 135
Joined: March 28th, 2019, 5:08 pm

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Caligulas Horse »

FemalePheromones wrote: October 16th, 2019, 10:45 am
Caligulas Horse wrote: October 16th, 2019, 10:23 am 70's horror films are a bit of an easy target!
I saw Alien! It released less than a year after Halloween.
haha good point, I guess I was really just thinking of early slasher films rather than horror in general.
User avatar
Caligulas Horse
Member
Posts: 135
Joined: March 28th, 2019, 5:08 pm

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Caligulas Horse »

clippa wrote: October 16th, 2019, 8:22 am You were never really here
woah! This was really good. It's totally captivating, keeps you guessing right until the end. Amazing direction and there isn't an ounce of fat on it. I went in blind and think that might have helped, so do that if you can.
Yeah I loved it, first film I've seen from Lynn Ramsey and I was very impressed, made me want to catch up on her earlier stuff.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by FemalePheromones »

ThirdMan wrote: October 16th, 2019, 7:09 pm Aliens: Special Edition (Now TV)

I''m pretty sure this was my first time with the Special Edition. The opening scene with Newt's parents definitely felt new to me. It wasn't necessary. In fact the opening hour felt slightly baggy, which is something I never thought I'd say about Aliens. The theatrical cut is the one I'll return to next time. Even so, it's a stone-cold classic.
I think both versions work. It's cool to see a fully working Hadley's Hope as much as it is cool to only see it derelict in the theatrical version. I do agree about it being slightly baggy but who doesn't love seeing someone with a facehugger attached to them and the extra bit of sadness when you learn about Ripley's daughter and the depth it gives to her connection to Newt.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by FemalePheromones »

ThirdMan wrote: October 16th, 2019, 10:30 pm
That's the bit that threw me. Is there any reference to Ripley's daughter in the theatrical cut? Because if there wasn't then I have seen the Special Edition before because I was aware of it and how it added depth to that relationship.
To be honest I've seen both versions quite a lot so they have kind of blended in my head but I've always known the key scenes in the Special Edition to be Hadley's Hope at the beginning, the part where you learn about Ripley's daughter and the scene with the sentry turrets.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Alex79 »

Is it on before or after Monkey Tennis?
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Alex79 »

I watched One More Time With Feeling. The Nick Cave documentary following the recoding of their last but one album, Skeleton Tree. Shot in the aftermath of his sons tragic death, it's deeply sad in places. Worth a watch, if you're a fan.
User avatar
hazeredmist
Member
Posts: 1709
Joined: June 25th, 2013, 12:45 pm
Location: The DMZ
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by hazeredmist »

Alex79uk wrote: October 18th, 2019, 3:42 pm Is it on before or after Monkey Tennis?
Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank!
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by duskvstweak »

We went and saw Ad Astra and I'm glad we did. I really enjoyed. Some flaws, I suppose, but a real throwback. Felt like Apocalypse Now meets 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you still can, try and see it on the big screen.

Also, my wife picked In The Tall Grass for her Halloween pick. It got way too dark for me. YMMV.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Completely agree that the film's more intimate ending works better as a conclusion to Dr. Manhattan's character arc as well as for the format (introducing another huge plot device so close before the end would have compounded the film's already noticeable pacing problems, I think).

I like Snyder's Watchmen a lot and I consider it to be greater than the sum of its parts despite its blatant flaws. It might sound like heresy to some, but if I had to choose between watching only one of the two between TDK and this one for the rest of my life, I would probably pick this one...

One thing I will say though, and I don't know which version is available on modern streaming services, but the Director's Cut is a significant improvement upon the theatrical cut in my opinion. I know I mentioned the film's pacing problems, but the longer version somehow also feels better rounded and flows more naturally.

Really good film. I'm tempted to re-watch it right now for all the highlights.
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by duskvstweak »

One of the biggest issues I have with Snyder's Watchmen is the take on violence.
In the book, it's not meant to be gratuitous, but a to show us how brutal and unstable some of these people are and what comic book "action would look like in the world if happened upon real people.
In the movie, it's slow motion and eye candy and isn't it so cool when bones snap?
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

duskvstweak wrote: October 24th, 2019, 7:44 pm One of the biggest issues I have with Snyder's Watchmen is the take on violence.
In the book, it's not meant to be gratuitous, but a to show us how brutal and unstable some of these people are and what comic book "action would look like in the world if happened upon real people.
In the movie, it's slow motion and eye candy and isn't it so cool when bones snap?
Yeah, I would agree with that.

I file it together with the gratuitous sexual imagery under "some directors can't help themselves". I'm not too squeamish, so it isn't a deal-breaker for me, but I agree that the film would be better without it.

But the soundtrack, the visualization of certain scenes, Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan and even The Comedian are handled so well that I can look past a lot of the flaws. :)
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

ThirdMan wrote: October 24th, 2019, 8:38 pm Have you watched the Ultimate Cut which includes the animated Tales of the Black Freighter? That sounds dreadful.
I actually imported the Ultimate boxset from the USA despite the regional lockout and had to buy some 15€ off-brand DVD player to watch it. It was obviously way too long for its own good and that heap of junk basically imploded shortly afterwards. :lol:

It is a nice collector's item, though. Still have it.

Anyway, the Director's Cut is well worth it. If you can get your hand on the UK Blu-Ray and fancy re-watching it some day, might be worth a look.

clippa wrote: October 24th, 2019, 8:17 pm Did not see the appeal at all.
To put it simply, the appeal for me and others is that it is a very bleak yet thoughtful deconstruction of the superhero 'genre' that knows how to subvert a lot of its cliché tropes in order to deal with some surprisingly potent themes.

It's basically the complete opposite of Christopher Reeve's Superman but it's also a fascinating story if you're into that sort of thing. :)
User avatar
DomsBeard
Member
Posts: 3689
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 5:03 pm
Location: Doms Chin

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by DomsBeard »

ThirdMan wrote: October 27th, 2019, 5:32 pm Terminator: Dark Fate (Cinema)

There's the makings of a good film in there somewhere but the second hour falls apart. Linda Hamilton is terrible. Arnie is the comic relief. People laughed along with him in T2 because he was iconic and entertaining, not because he was actually funny. He was just Arnie, basically. It's ridiculous what they've done with him (again!) Also, an early scene made me genuinely angry in how it pisses all over the first two films. It rips their heart out. A silly and unnecessary film that for me does more damage to the first two than the others because it has the temerity to declare itself the true sequel.
I wish they had the balls to do a Terminator film without Arnie in. They could've done something simple like a Rogue One based around getting Kyle Reese to his time machine or something post Judgement day. Terminator 1 and 2 are all time classics and I feel the 3 films since (is this the 4th?) have done nothing but take away from their legacy.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by FemalePheromones »

ThirdMan wrote: October 27th, 2019, 5:32 pm Terminator: Dark Fate (Cinema)

There's the makings of a good film in there somewhere but the second hour falls apart. Linda Hamilton is terrible. Arnie is the comic relief. People laughed along with him in T2 because he was iconic and entertaining, not because he was actually funny. He was just Arnie, basically. It's ridiculous what they've done with him (again!) Also, an early scene made me genuinely angry in how it pisses all over the first two films. It rips their heart out. A silly and unnecessary film that for me does more damage to the first two than the others because it has the temerity to declare itself the true sequel.
Wow. I guess I won't be watching that any time soon.
User avatar
KissMammal
Member
Posts: 523
Joined: August 22nd, 2014, 5:52 pm

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by KissMammal »

duskvstweak wrote: October 24th, 2019, 7:44 pm One of the biggest issues I have with Snyder's Watchmen is the take on violence.
In the book, it's not meant to be gratuitous, but a to show us how brutal and unstable some of these people are and what comic book "action would look like in the world if happened upon real people.
In the movie, it's slow motion and eye candy and isn't it so cool when bones snap?
This was absolutely key for me. By turning all the characters into 'badass' cold-blooded murderers*, Snyder completely lost the contrast between the more sympathetic, bumbling characters like Dan and Laurie and the total psycopaths like Rorschach and the Comedian.

The movie had a lot of things going for it - the casting, a couple of poor choices aside, is almost uncannily perfect, but the execution was for me completely tone deaf. It gets a lot of the surface level stuff right, but as an adaptation it comes across as very shallow and arguably misses the point.

Terry Gilliam, at one point attached to direct the movie, called Watchmen 'unfilmable', and I'm inclined to agree in hindsight. It's just too sprawling, ambitious and meta a story to fit coherently into a satisfying two hour movie. It's - fittingly - constructed like a swiss watch, and if you start to move bits around and cut stuff, the whole thing starts to fall to pieces.

I don't have any interest in the HBO series. Watchmen is completely self-contained and absolutely does not need a sequel or prequel as far as I'm concerned, and from what I've heard about the TV show, I simply don't see what the subject matter has to do with Watchmen.... On top of that, the slightly clammy way that DC shamelessly milks everything Moore ever touched for all its worth (including, as I understand, having Watchmen cross over into the mainline DC universe.... :roll: ) is honestly quite nauseating. Reminds me of the publisher that put out that dodgy, cobbled-together To Kill a Mockingbird sequel (against the wishes of the original author's estate) a few years ago. With all these spin-offs and sequels and whatnot they're at real risk of diluting a genuine classic.

*And then, a few years later, he did the exact same thing to Batman and Superman :P .
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by ratsoalbion »

For me that one was and is peak Wallace & Gromit. Just a total joy.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Flabyo »

It’s my favourite of the shorts by quite a margin, even though they’re all good in their own ways.

I actually really like the movie too, but I get why others don’t.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Flabyo »

Did you ever watch the one CG film they did, ‘Flushed Away’? It tends to get panned, but I still rather like it.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Alex79 »

Arthur Christmas isn't bad.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Flabyo »

I forgot Arthur Christmas was one of theirs. Good film that.
Post Reply