Random Movie Thoughts Thread

[The Cat]

Wowzers, a veritable who's who of who was where when. How did I miss this when I was a kid?​

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

So what do people think of Ethan Hawke's character in Before Sunrise?

 

[The Cat]

So what do people think of Ethan Hawke's character in Before Sunrise?

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps in those gentle moments before sunrise.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Wowzers, a veritable who's who of who was where when. How did I miss this when I was a kid?​

Oh, a Charles Band Joint. I should have guessed! In addition to the Trek names, there appears to be an actual Vorta in the movie.

I think I unironically like Battle Beyond the Stars. Plus, that spaceship.

Think Rebel Moon but directed by Roger Corman with James Cameron working on the FX.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Oh, a Charles Band Joint. I should have guessed! In addition to the Trek names, there appears to be an actual Vorta in the movie.

I think I unironically like Battle Beyond the Stars. Plus, that spaceship.

Think Rebel Moon but directed by Roger Corman with James Cameron working on the FX.

Banger James Horner score too

 

[The Cat]

Oh, a Charles Band Joint. I should have guessed! In addition to the Trek names, there appears to be an actual Vorta in the movie.

I think I unironically like Battle Beyond the Stars. Plus, that spaceship.

Think Rebel Moon but directed by Roger Corman with James Cameron working on the FX.

I'll take mini models, matte painted backgrounds, and practical effects over green screen and lazy cgi any day of the week

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I'll take mini models, matte painted backgrounds, and practical effects over green screen and lazy cgi any day of the week

There's just something about it that even the best CGI can't replicate. When it's done well, I'll take it over any CGI. When it's done poorly, it's still great because you can laugh at it and there's still a charm to it. And there's also something about stop motion I love. I saw a video where someone used modern effects to smooth up the movements of the stop motion skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts, and it actually looked worse than the original thing. The jerkiness of the movements actually worked better and made the skeletons more believable.

My biggest pet peeve is CGI blood. It looks like absolute shit and is always obvious. Give me big, juicy blood squibs and Tarantino style blood spray.

It's weird CGI has come as far as it has, yet it still often looks like shit, even in high budget productions. I think the few exceptions I can think of where it's an asset are things like The Matrix, where that artificial look works for a computer generated reality, and maybe something like Life of Pi

 

[The Cat]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I've only seen the first few minutes, but I'll answer:

What do classic Star Wars and Lord of the Rings have that modern fantasy doesn't?

I would argue that it has an aspirational element. They set a heroic ideal to inspire people. They were never intended to be realistic, but were instead seeking to provide an ideal, and perhaps, in doing so, they motivated many people to try as best they could to make the world a little bit better. There's audio of Marlon Brando from Superman articulating this concept. What they did was create hope, hope that doesn't disappoint because it exists within a fantastic realm. That's why modern comic books were invented in the 1930s.

Today, everyone sees that as suspect (for some reason that is never articulated), and seeks to "deconstruct" that concept (without "constructing" anything in its place). The Acolyte is Exhibit A; it has to undermine and uncut one of the central concepts of Star Wars, almost as thought it were embarrassed to be part of the Star Wars universe.

A word about the Birds: I consider this movie overrated. I know people who are terrified of this movie, but I find it comical. I'm tempted to laugh at the idea of birds attacking people, and, within the context of the movie, even rooting for them. This trailer is pretty great, though.

Hitchcock's best movie is either North by Northwest or Rope, which actually is creepy.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Let me clarify something: I'm not against gray morality or antiheroes. I love a lot of works like that. I'm bothered when every single thing coming out is this, which is the case now. There's room for both.

 

[The Cat]

I've only seen the first few minutes, but I'll answer:

What do classic Star Wars and Lord of the Rings have that modern fantasy doesn't?

I would argue that it has an aspirational element. They set a heroic ideal to inspire people. They were never intended to be realistic, but were instead seeking to provide an ideal, and perhaps, in doing so, they motivated many people to try as best they could to make the world a little bit better. There's audio of Marlon Brando from Superman articulating this concept. What they did was create hope, hope that doesn't disappoint because it exists within a fantastic realm. That's why modern comic books were invented in the 1930s.

Today, everyone sees that as suspect (for some reason that is never articulated), and seeks to "deconstruct" that concept (without "constructing" anything in its place). The Acolyte is Exhibit A; it has to undermine and uncut one of the central concepts of Star Wars, almost as thought it were embarrassed to be part of the Star Wars universe.

A word about the Birds: I consider this movie overrated. I know people who are terrified of this movie, but I find it comical. I'm tempted to laugh at the idea of birds attacking people, and, within the context of the movie, even rooting for them. This trailer is pretty great, though.

Hitchcock's best movie is either North by Northwest or Rope, which actually is creepy.

You should really see the whole thing before this.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

You should really see the whole thing before this.

I did, eventually.

 

[Totenkindly]

Let me clarify something: I'm not against gray morality or antiheroes. I love a lot of works like that. I'm bothered when every single thing coming out is this, which is the case now. There's room for both.

It's like when pop music shifted away from sterile big-studio sound in the early 90s to rougher cheap budget garage bands with little formal musical background. It was refreshing and new for a year or two until all the non-creative labels and musicians flocked to the genre for money. With a few more years, it was 95% absolute crap with no talent.

Basically creativity doing its own thing is refreshing, rehashing and mimicry isn't that enticing.

 

[Red Herring]

Basically creativity doing its own thing is refreshing, rehashing and mimicry isn't that enticing.

Tell that to the people hyping AI "art".

 

[The Cat]

Let me clarify something: I'm not against gray morality or antiheroes. I love a lot of works like that. I'm bothered when every single thing coming out is this, which is the case now. There's room for both.

When I first clicked on it I wasn't expecting it to go so in depth into literary history. But I was glad it did. But yes I agree there is so much room for both, and if you imagine a world where we're given both, there's less frustration and more optimism because there's more to imagine that is, *sigh* "Correct to imagine." As it stands, there is a definite implication that depending on what/how/who you imagine, you're a bad or good person worthy of "mob critique/society's emotional reactions."

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

When I first clicked on it I wasn't expecting it to go so in depth into literary history. But I was glad it did. But yes I agree there is so much room for both, and if you imagine a world where we're given both, there's less frustration and more optimism because there's more to imagine that is, *sigh* "Correct to imagine." As it stands, there is a definite implication that depending on what/how/who you imagine, you're a bad or good person worthy of "mob critique/society's emotional reactions."

I'm very much in favor of having different kinds of people fill that role, but what people who haven't had much representation deserve is not what we've been getting. It's nice to have representation, but it would be so much better if the stories were good and creative and not lazy. I also imagine what other groups want is stories where the new characters get to be heroic, just like the white males in the 70s, 80s, and 90s got to be heroic. If it's an antihero or a "deconstruction" it actually undercuts the message of diversity and inclusion somewhat.

 

[Totenkindly]

 

[The Cat]

I'm very much in favor of having different kinds of people fill that role, but what people who haven't had much representation deserve is not what we've been getting. It's nice to have representation, but it would be so much better if the stories were good and creative and not lazy. I also imagine what other groups want is stories where the new characters get to be heroic, just like the white males in the 70s, 80s, and 90s got to be heroic. If it's an antihero or a "deconstruction" it actually undercuts the message of diversity and inclusion somewhat.

Representation yes. Being hung on the wall tackily and constantly pointed out being LOOK LOOK We Got One! No.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Representation yes. Being hung on the wall tackily and constantly pointed out being LOOK LOOK We Got One! No.

Honestly, what I did in the trilogy was mostly what I was mind motivated me to do anyway.