Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by purr1n, Jan 8, 2020.

  1. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    In my second Poltergeist breakdown, I explore the theme of children as superior beings. The film heavily implies that children have an emotional intelligence, keen sense of observation and problem solving skills far greater than we give them credit for.

    New video every Wednesday at 12 noon Central. Subscribe to CineMechanic for all the latest.

     
  2. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    Goddamn! This is brilliant. Way more than film criticism...there is so much here about the contrast between IRL humanity and the artificial constructs we create. "It is up to us to finish the story" (a chilling comment, given what I see in socially connected humanity).

    One of the many public services this video provides is to remind us how prophetic THE MATRIX was. It wasn't one of my favorite films at the time: I found it rather chilly and off-putting, despite its extreme creative & visual flair. In retrospect, I may have been put off by the alienating confinement of digital existence. Thanks also for connecting this to a film I went crazy for--BOUND (I'm a sucker for color noir). Somehow I missed the fact that both films were made by the same people...

    The year THE MATRIX came out I was working in NYC at a then cutting-edge digital company. Everyone there was 1/2 my age and lived very differently than I'd ever seen before, with their eyes fixed on cellphones every minute. I remember going out to get lunch and seeing pedestrians, hypnotized by their phones, walking into traffic, sign-poles, and each other. Something about that felt menacing to me, and still does.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2020
  3. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    Anyone seen Tales from the loop? Really enjoying some proper scifi for a change, slim pickings lately other than The Expanse. Though this has a different style, slower and more contemplative with beautiful cinematography. Great musical score as well.

    I like how each episode stands on it's own yet they are connected since it all takes place near the same town. Well worth a watch if you're yearning for some scifi.
     
  4. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    @Riotvan - other good suggestions are: Dark, Devs, West World (Season 1 and done to save yourself a headache)
     
  5. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    Heard good things about Devs and Dark but i can't get the former here afaik. Dark is on my list and Westworld well yeah watched it all and i agree season 1 was the best, so much Radiohead music i approve!
     
  6. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    A few comments about DARK, which continues to dazzle (and confuse) in its 2nd season:
    • This time travel story is way more than science fiction--it's a period-correct history sampler with outstanding clothing/uniforms, cars, and set decorations of all kinds
    • I've long since become terminally confused about what is actually happening in the plot, in which multiple persons crisscross historical periods at will. It's the kind of time travel drama where a person can go forward or backward in time, encountering & interacting w/him/herself in the new time period--with resultant psychic reflections echoing across multiple time-periods
    • But that hardly matters because this drama is a Festival of Character Acting--one actor after another with amazing acting chops and a face to die for. These aren't beautiful actors, Hollywood faces & toned bodies--these are very normal looking people whom you simply can't take your eyes off
    • And then there's the cinematography, lighthing & stunning photography, both interior and interior. Very often the scenes appear as if from a fairy tale, with magic and/or doomed qualities hard to describe but easy to see. A LOT of ingenuity & creativity is being poured into this production...
    Admittedly, DARK is not a casual, binge-worthy drama: it's too labyrinthine & conflicted for that. But it's also one of the most accomplished & visually refined dramas I've ever seen on television.
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2020
  7. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    In my latest, I examine how corporations have hijacked the human soul through greed and rampant consumerism, and how OCP's assimilation of the police force in Robocop expresses this theme. I also metaphorically tie the corporate bodily structure to the human body itself, and examine where Robocop fits into this surreal puzzle. This one is deep, folks.

    New video every Wednesday at 12 noon Central. Subscribe to CineMechanic for all the latest.
     
  8. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    This video was completed weeks ago and scheduled to release today, but with the recent passing of John Saxon (RIP), the timing is weird, as he dies in Nightmare 3. Most people don't know that Saxon wrote his own script for Nightmare 3 that pinned the child murders not on Freddy Krueger but on the Charles Manson family. Mason's rampage in the 70s shattered the American dream and its innocence, and in my latest, I examine just how Freddy Krueger shattered the American dream for the characters of Nightmare 3. Hope you enjoy.

    New video every Wednesday at 12 noon central. Subscribe to CineMechanic for all the latest.
     
  9. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    It's Wednesday my dudes! Awesome - thank you very much. I've shown your videos to a few people now.

    The calmness in your voice is intense!
     
  10. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    In my latest video, I examine Stanley Kubrick's obsession with trying to change the form of cinema. He somewhat succeeded with his masterpiece 2001. The language in which the film's epic ideas are buried act as a kind of code. I attempt to decipher this code language and uncover Kubrick's ambitious ideas for probably the greatest the sci-fi movie of all time.

    New video every Wednesday at 12 noon Central.

     
  11. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I can't wait to watch this tonight! Big fan of Kubrick and that includes A.I. - The pieces are hidden in there, just pictured in a way that isn't what you're used to.
     
  12. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    I just had an epiphany: I'll watch even the worst trash movie or series to see Frank Grillo's acting.

    Who is Frank Grillo, you ask? He's a very compact, strong character actor, very often cast in genre tough-guy/criminal roles (he truly looks the part & can be quite menacing). Think Jon Bernthal of THE PUNISHER & you'd be in the physical neighborhood, though Grillo is shorter.

    The first time I saw Grillo was in WHEELMAN on Netflix. It's a gritty, dark crime drama. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He carries the film, acting alone in most scenes, interacting with others only by cellphone. He's magnetic & can really act.

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5723286/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_19

    The other films/series I've seen him in don't rise to this level, but Grillo himself never disappoints. Here are some other things he's in (all on Netflix):

    KINGDOM: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3673794/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

    POINT BLANK: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2499472/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_13

    BLACK AND BLUE: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7390646/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_12

    HOMEFRONT (in full thug/criminal mode):
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2312718/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_30
     
  13. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
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    Point Blank is a great John Boorman movie from the 60s. Boorman never compromised for Hollywood. The Exorcist II is batshit insane and awful.
     
  14. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    The original POINT BLANK was awesome '60s nihilism. Love that film.

    The latter day POINT BLANK is a completely unrelated plot--not sure why they would cop this famous film title as their own, but they did.

    Think I saw EXORCIST II but immediately forgot it (so you're probably right about it being awful). The original EXORCIST, on the other hand, lit my ass up like a Christmas tree.
     
  15. DEATHxMACHINE

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    Is a fantastic film based on the Walker series of books by Donald E. Westlake. Much better than the theatrical release of Payback (1999), director's cut was pretty decent. Another good film based of the same series of books was The Outfit (1973) starring Robert Duvall.

    Just because its another Lee Marvin "gangster" film, check out Prime Cut (1972). Also stars Gene Hackman.
     
  16. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    1. Other great cop and crime movies I’ve seen recently:

    Thief
    To Live and Die in LA
    The Driver
    48 Hours
    The King of NY. This is super low key but enjoyable.

    worst movie I have seen recently:
    She Hate Me. This is a piece of shit on the level of Exorcist II. I’d rather watch Matthew McConehejjrkrkry movies than this turd.
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    LOL, would that be Matthew McConehejjrkrkry channeling Owen Wilson or Matthew McConehejjrkrkry proper?
     
  18. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    Good list. I would add 3 of my all-time favorite genre movies, 2 directed by the great Michael Mann, the other directed by the great John Frankenheimer:
    • HEAT
    • COLLATERAL (Tom Cruise's finest performance IMHO & Jamie Fox is tops)
    • RONIN
    1st & 3rd films show what an unstoppable force DeNiro was in the '90s. These performances are among his best ever, up there w/RAGING BULL (really saying something).

    Re Matthew M, I wasn't a big fan of his acting or the RomComs he was known for. That changed with 2 performances later in his career:
    • DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB (very good perf)
    • TRUE DETECTIVE (exceptional, best in his career IMO)
     
  19. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
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    Ronin is good but very low key like King of NY. It’s not visceral and thrilling on the level of To Live and Die in LA or Point Blank where the simple plot works.

    Collateral is great. Very underrated film. It’s the only post 1980s Tom Cruise movie I like other than Eyes Wide Shut and Interview with the Vampire. I hate Tom Cruise in most action movies. Manlet cocky fighter pilot? Yes. Assassin? Yes. The Mission Impossible movies have no plot. I can’t figure them out. Cartoons have better writing.

    Jerry McGuire is another irredeemable piece of shit.
     
  20. DEATHxMACHINE

    DEATHxMACHINE Friend

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    This is a good list. As a huge fan of Michael Mann, it took me too long to get around to watching Thief. Amazing movie with a kickass sound track (I ended buying it on vinyl). Another decent underrated James Caan movie is The Killer Elite (1975). It is not Sam Peckinpah's best work but its a fun film.

    I have never been so shocked from a movie scene than To Live and Die in LA. When you know who gets shot in the face from a shotgun literally stunned me. I couldn't believe they were that ballsy to do that. Also gotta mention Manhunter (1986) because of Michael Mann and William Petersen.

    Then kinda along the lines of Ronin, The Day of The Jackal is another good one. Has that specific European style/vibe or just because both have Michael Lonsdale.

    I rewatched The Killer Elite last night and this scene always gets me.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2020

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