Watch Watched Watching: The Rambunctious Cinema of Terrence Malick

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Argonath Diver said:

If you decide, correctly, to watch the delightful Kung Fu Hustle, I recommend the subtitled version. Some of the humor will bounce off Western audiences regardless, but I think the dub is woefully unfunny. Then again, I am super biased against dubbed anything regardless.

I think this is especially true of comedies. Anchorman is one of my all-time favorites, but my attempt to show a Spanish dubbed version to my host family in Argentina was an absolute disaster. It wasn’t funny at all and I turned it off midway through.

[DMC]

The only thing dubbed that ever worked was Power Rangers.

[Mark Antony]

45 minutes ago, Cas Stark said:

Get Carter.  I don't know how this movie escaped me until now.

Peak Michael Caine, gritty, ugly 70s England, 70s violence, 70s grim plot.   With that as his debut, I would have thought Hodges would have had a more high profile career.

Watched it on TMC the other day and it’s fucking awesome. Had never heard of it either. 
also watched Thelma and Louise which I had never seen and loved that as well. Really enjoyed all the characters 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Finally got around to Lovecraft Country. Loved it.

It definitely gets a bit messy and unfocused mid-season. A number of series do a 30 second "previously on" prologue to prime the audience with background information relevant to the episode. As annoying as that can be, this series didn't do that and it really needed to.

Spoiler

I realized I forgot about the orrery until it reappeared after not even being mentioned for two episodes. Then I had to try to remember what was so important about it to begin with.  Along with the book of names, this was one of (too) many maguffins to keep track of.

There were also a few too many convenient events scattered here and there. But damn some of those episodes were bonkers. The episodes centered around Jamie Chung and Aunjanue Ellis (who were both brilliant BTW) were especially memorable. Topsy and Bopsy freaked me the fuck out. Wunmi Mosaku and Michael K Williams also give great performances. All around a really solid cast.

They way this series incorporates social commentary on chauvinism and bigotry is fearless.  I'm really disappointed we won't be seeing more of it.

 

[ithanos]

9 hours ago, Veltigar said:

I got to thank you and @ithanos for talking up the film. I was in the mood for some nostalgic Chan films, but after the first one I probably would have skipped this and that would have been a crying shame. The action in this, particularly at the end was insanely good and that alone made it well worth it.

It does make me wonder how this type of action insanity would play in a film that also had a more sophisticated plot and characters. That would be one for the ages.

You're welcome

8 hours ago, Kaligator said:

Like, I know intellectually that parts of it aren't awesome, but if you don't want to run through a wall after watching the last 15 minute fight scene in the foundry I wonder if you have a pulse. Chan's eyes alone when he's drinking the industrial fuel and how well he physically acts, the great nice long, wide shots that show all the action...the only action director I've seen that comes close to this sort of thing is George Miller. It's beautiful.

This. And with that allow me to reference Every Frame a Painting's excellent breakdown video.
Some filmmakers can do action. Others can do comedy. But for 40 years, the master of combining them has been Jackie Chan. Let’s see how he does it.

 

[Ghostlydragon]

I've finally started the haunting of bly manor. Only 2 episodes in. At this stage in Hill House, I preferred that one but this has potential. Once its done I'll start Buffy season 2.

[Veltigar]

Watched Ip Man (2008) to counter balance the comedy martial arts films I have recently been watching. I thought I hadn't seen it before, but the Japanese general wasreally familiar so this is probably one I caught on TV or some place else years ago. I was surprised to see the underwhelming critical reception, because I thought it was great. Donnie Yen just instantly brings in street cred to any film he's in, the fights were enjoyable and I liked the story and side characters. Not surprised this spawned a franchise and I'm curious to see the other Ip Man films.

5 hours ago, ithanos said:

This. And with that allow me to reference Every Frame a Painting's excellent breakdown video.
Some filmmakers can do action. Others can do comedy. But for 40 years, the master of combining them has been Jackie Chan. Let’s see how he does it.

 

 

That is a very educational video! Editing is something I always want to know more about, as it's quite hard for an outsider to get a grip on even though it has such great repercussions  

[RhaenysBee]

I am watching The Good Liar. The story is… quite ridiculous in a rather unexpected way. But it hardly matters because you get to watch Sir Ian McKellen act for 100 minutes and that’s enough to blow anybody’s mind and cuddle their soul. Of course, had this film been produced with actors other than Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren and Jim Carter, it wouldn’t really be above the 5-6 out of 10 mark. I mean 3-4/10. What an utterly ridiculous story. Oh well. 

[Isis]

Watched Hot Fuzz last night as we needed a comfort blanket. It just never gets any less funny. It's a flat out masterpiece of comedy. It's also the best thing that Timothy Dalton has ever been in.

[Corvinus85]

2 hours ago, Isis said:

Watched Hot Fuzz last night as we needed a comfort blanket. It just never gets any less funny. It's a flat out masterpiece of comedy. It's also the best thing that Timothy Dalton has ever been in.

Minor disagreement here - he was in Penny Dreadful, I think only season 1.

[Ran]

55 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

Minor disagreement here - he was in Penny Dreadful, I think only season 1.

Dalton was in all three seasons. Or do you mean the first season was worth considering as his best work?

And I'm sorry, but the best thing Timothy Dalton was ever in is a little film called The Lion in Winter. 

[Corvinus85]

14 minutes ago, Ran said:

Dalton was in all three seasons. Or do you mean the first season was worth considering as his best work?

And I'm sorry, but the best thing Timothy Dalton was ever in is a little film called The Lion in Winter. 

I meant the whole show. For some reason I was thinking he left the show before its end. Never seen The Lion in Winter.

[Ran]

6 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

I meant the whole show. For some reason I was thinking he left the show before its end.

I think the end of the first season had him going back to Africa, but he returned the next season at some point, IIRC.

Quote

Never seen The Lion in Winter.

I am pretty sure you will enjoy it. Wonderful, sparkling script by James Goldman adapted from his play, and the cast is just craaaaazy: Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, young Anthony Hopkins, young Timothy Dalton, Nigel Terry well before Excalibur, Jane Merrow, John Castle... fantastic film.

 

Here's a good, representative scene:

 

[DMC]

Dalton goes to Africa at the beginning of the third season of Penny Dreadful, but he appears in all but two episodes of the series (both of which are flashback episodes for Vanessa). 

Anyway, that'd be my favorite thing I've seen of his, but there's plenty of his work I haven't seen - including The Lion in Winter.  That is a quite the cast.  Plus the film gets bonus points from me for being referenced in West Wing when Toby is trying to convince Bartlet to accept a censure ("when the fall is all there is, it matters").  Sorkin referenced it in Sports Night too.

[Derfel Cadarn]

Wrong quote

[Derfel Cadarn]

1 hour ago, Ran said:

Dalton was in all three seasons. Or do you mean the first season was worth considering as his best work?

And I'm sorry, but the best thing Timothy Dalton was ever in is a little film called The Lion in Winter. 

Flash! .... Flaaaa-aash!!! king of the impossible!

[Mindwalker]

Watched the pilot of Ted Lasso.  Deeply unfunny for me, plus I want to kill the protagonist. Slowly.

[Zorral]

Britbox has put up all 9 seasons of Bergerac (1981-1991), which, I guess, made young John Nettles, if not famous, at least very familiar?  9 seasons is a lot of tv so if not famous certainly familiar, before the very popular Midsomer Murders, and even longer running series, even before Nettles (1997-2011) was replaced by Dudgeon (2011- current).  First ep of Midsomer Murders was 1997 -- so there was great deal of aging and spreading of Nettles between 1981 Nettles 1997.

On Amazon Prime I've started to watch The Rising Hawk (2019), a US and Ukraine film production. 13th Century Carpathian Mountains, Mongolian invasions, and other rivalries, betrayals, etc. The beginning is rather silly, but when the Mongols arrive, the film begins to get interesting.  We'll see.  The fight scenes, despite what a lot of viewers have said (i.e. google reviews; Rotten Tomatoes doesn't agree), so far at least, are fairly non-convincing.  But the scenery is stunning which kind of makes up for the limited budget.  In any case I'm a sucker for Carpathian Mountains, and for Mongols.  Put them together and there are my eyeballs.

[Ran]

1 hour ago, DMC said:

Anyway, that'd be my favorite thing I've seen of his, but there's plenty of his work I haven't seen - including The Lion in Winter.  That is a quite the cast.  Plus the film gets bonus points from me for being referenced in West Wing when Toby is trying to convince Bartlet to accept a censure ("when the fall is all there is, it matters").  Sorkin referenced it in Sports Night too.

You would definitely enjoy the film. I'm not surprised Sorkin is a fan, the patter is right up his alley.

If you really want an interesting double-header, watch Becket first and then The Lion in Winter. Becket is the earlier film and is set about 15 years prior to The Lion in Winter. It won the Academy Award for best adapted script, also being adapted from a play. Peter O'Toole was nominated for his second Oscar thanks to his performance as Henry II, Richard Burton was nominated for his role as the eponymous Thomas à Becket, John Gielgud is also in it.

 

[Derfel Cadarn]

About to start a rewatch of Babylon 5. Am I better sticking to my dvds or watch it on Prime? I understand the streaming version has issues, but is it worse than the DVDs?