Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

The plain fact is that UTS never explains what the aliens are here for--what she's doing with those men in that house--nothing. Their actions are seen by us, but are completely mysterious. Is she "feeding" in some manner? Are aliens a hive-species, and she's the queen? Is she conveying some essential nutrient or information to her kind? I have no idea. That complete lack of explanation IMO really adds to the creepy mood.

Hell, yes, UTS is reflective of aspects of nihilistic human psychology. That is made very clear in the closing scene, which visually conveys that nihilism w/particular force. If all alien stories are basically about us, not them, this story reflects pretty badly on us...

 

New vid up! Total Recall was the first R-rated movie I saw in a theater as a kid. And I snuck out of my church group's showing of Ghost to do so (RIP Patrick Swayze). A transgressive act for a transgressive movie... and it happens to be the subject of my latest. Please subscribe if you enjoy my content!

 

Thanks for the analysis of Total Recall! The first R movie I remember transgressing into was Quest for Fire in the summer of 81. I purchased a ticket for another movie, and when I entered the theatre there were many women with kids present for some reason. Maybe they thought it was going to be an "educational" docudrama? The opening scene where the primitive is sniffing the air, finding the bent over women in the shallow stream and running up to hump one of them (while the rest totally ignore them) had all of them filing out and me snickering to myself. I wonder if they asked for and received a refund?

 

Ha! I still drop the "Quaid, start the reactor" line every now and then. Isnt as effective as it used to be but amuses me to no end.

 

The film's silly tone really fools people into believing it isn't that important. It is. It's back when you could make edgy, provocative, transgressive studio movies for lots of money. That era is over. I'd argue his later film Starship Troopers (of which I have a video in the works) is the last time a major studio allowed it to such a degree. Starship Troopers is bonkers and goes really far with the satire... to the point where it was easily confused with actual propaganda by critics at the time.

 

I was always amazed that Starship Troopers was not seen as an obvious satire. I remember the media hype about its "propaganda". At the time it seemed so fresh and over the top, I wonder how it would play if released today.

 

I look forward to your perspective. I have thought that whether it intended it or not, it satired not only facism directly but ended up "reverse satirizing" (is that a thing?) a naïve trust in liberal democracy that almost all of its audience would have, like when Obi Won blurts out at "DEMOCRACY!" in that self serious tone to the future dark lord

In any case Hollywood/studio's are obviously in the grips of a moralism (or is it fear of the woke moralists?) today.

 

I think it was initially a desire to have more control over the films, in order to develop an easily repeatable formula that could be relied on for money making purposes. Provocative big budget movies were becoming too risky to gamble on. And while I think certain people in Hollywood care about morals, the town is mostly amoral, and money is their number one priority.

 

...followed closely by dope du jour + ass

("not that there's anything wrong with that")

 

A friend suggested I start putting music in my videos, so here is my first attempt... with a film that awed but frustrated me at the same time. Tenet is not only Nolan's most complex film, it's his least accessible. And it's indicative of the state of the movie business right now... all that and more in my latest film essay. Please subscribe and share if you enjoy my content. Thanks.

 

Top Youtuber Chris Stuckmann and I ponder the fate of movie theaters after Warner Bros' bombshell announcement, in this inaugural episode of my new Under The Hood series... which will feature conversations with filmmakers, actors, and movie aficionados. Excited to debut this.

 

Great analysis. Starting in the early aughts when I noticed the increasing likelihood of incoherent and minimal plot, action as filler/entertainment (explosions are the plot), and the volume/mix/audibility issues I thought maybe I was just getting old and there was real "art" and literacy buried in there somewhere...nope.

 

As usual, your analysis is compelling & rings true. I think your categorization of this as an '80s film (with all the attendant excesses) to be on point.

I didn't like this film--was put off by the perverse delight it takes in showcasing violence & abberance. Perversion & abberance are hardly no-go zones for me (I greatly admire directors like David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Abel Ferrara). But somehow those elements didn't sit right with me in a hyper-imaginative Sci-Fi context (where I tend to appreciate color noir styles more).

I keep meaning to go back & re-read the Philip K. Dick story on which this is loosely based. Surely part of the value equation of this film must be what it brings to the text of a master. In short, can it hang with competition like BLADE RUNNER?

(I think not...)

 

Chadwick Boseman's untimely passing is no reason to eliminate T'Challa from his own franchise, Black Panther. I make the case for recasting the part in my latest video.

 

Just saw Mission Impossible Rogue Nation. I was super impressed! Best MI movie so far. A lot of it had to do with the stunt work rather than crazy special effects. And the cinematography was beautifully done it created a real spy kind of vibe with the dark alleyways and awesome fight scenes. It also had lots of nice throw backs to the old TV show. I’m glad the same crew is making the rest. Haven’t seen Fallout yet don’t give away any spoilers!

 

Filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan have recently blasted Warner Bros. for sacrificing the future of theaters for their own selfish aims. In my latest Under The Hood episode, Britney Salyer and I discuss why the theatrical experience is so vital to the art form of cinema, and why Alamo Drafthouse is its greatest champion. (apologies for the feedback in some of the audio in the first 41 minutes, it is fixed after that)

 

I'm still holding my breath for your Starship Troopers analysis which you hinted at in your Under the Hood #1 with Chris Stuckmann.

 

Wednesday.

 

Incoherence & inaudibility -- deadly criticisms for any film, much less one so overtly designed as a blockbuster. I had chances to see this in theaters but didn't like anything I heard about it, so stayed away. Then the world shut down and movies were gone.

I totally agree that Memento was C.N.'s best film. It would be anyone's best film; the plot concept was irresistable and everything in the film worked. Nolan began to lose me soon after: INCEPTION left me cold, despite the evidently huge budget for creative & special effects. That's the last Nolan film I bothered seeing.

IMO this is not a natural event arc for a director this talented. He's made huge films that made lots of money, but the relatively soul-lessness of much of his work comes through clearly. Where did Chris Nolan's mojo go?

Your comments about arrogant cinema exhibition chains are dead-on, and beyond depressing. I love going to movies, being in the theater. Some of my best memories (childhood and adult) were movies seen in theaters. I'd never stop going if not forced to by coronavirus. I'm acutely aware that the 2 local independent movie theaters upon which I depended won't be coming back. They were my last tie to movie-going, having abandoned AMC and other big chains years ago.

(sad/sad/sad)

Still, I'm one of the lucky ones with the means to buy a serious flatscreen (77" LG OLED) and put it in a space idealized for noctural watching of content on Netflix, Prime Video, or 4K blu-ray. I began with streaming just a couple years ago, never dreaming that it would become a literal substitute for movie-going.