Watched, Watched, Watching: Saltier Things Part One

[Veltigar]

On 5/30/2022 at 12:56 AM, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

 

It's just a damn good movie. 

It sure is. When I return from foreign climes and they still play it in IMAX I’ll probably go a third time.

On 5/30/2022 at 2:14 AM, WarGalley said:

Just got back from the theater (IMAX) for Top Gun. My adrenaline is still going though I don’t think this compares to Fury Road. Good movie though and glad to catch it in theaters.

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The love interest stuff was too convenient. The financially successful, independent business owner, and incredibly attractive ex-girlfriend being inexplicably single and falling so easily for Maverick was quite a stretch. 

Loved the homage paid to the original in terms of the F-14, Iceman and Goose even ithough Maverick “let’s go” in the first film.

Good action scenes too.

Fun time all around.

Both Fury Road and Top Gun: Maverick are Legacy sequels that came out without any expectations and blew the original predecessor out of the water with mind-blowing action.

For me they are absolutely in the same category. Although I guess Top Gun 2 will never be as popular since it is a fundamentally optimistic film about the role of the US and it’s military in the world

Spoiler

There was a rubbish column in the FT about how Top Gun 2’s plot was solely a reflection of US insecurity about losing its technological edge against foreign adversaries, but that article completely missed the confidence inherent to the film.

Not only does the US retain their technological edge (given the fact that the film literally opens with Tom Cruise flying a plane that is leaps and bounds better than even the 5th generation enemy jets), but the film reaffirms its belief in US values, as they carry the day even when the US is confronted with enemies that are technologically superior (as illustrated by the final dogfights).

Now it is fashionable nowadays to make jokes about American heavy-handiness and to root for the decline of the West, but as the past couple of months have shown, both US citizens and those of allied nations in Europe and elsewhere should be very grateful to Uncle Sam  for stepping up to the plate.

That of course doesn’t mean that the US is perfect. Lord knows you lot are crazy and we should all do our best to help the US live up to its values, but when the States succeeds in its lofty aspirations it is a force for good the likes of which we haven’t seen yet.

it’s therefore nice to see a film brimming with characters that embody these values and that can serve as a guiding light to both the new and old generations. 

Compare that to Fury Road in which we have basically destroyed the world. That’s so depressing. The feminism encoded in the film serves as a counter weight and embodies hope, but In the end contemporary people still failed. I’d much rather be reminded that all of us can do our bit to advert a dystopian future than the alternative.

 

[lacuna]

3 hours ago, Zorral said:

What it takes for streamers to provide dialogue and subtitles in a variety of languages for productions outside of country of origin.

https://www.vulture.com/article/localization-translation-international-streaming.html

 

Hah, that exact thing is what I do for a living, although almost exclusively English-Norwegian, if I can help it.

 

ETA: Subtitling, that is.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

1 hour ago, Veltigar said:

It sure is. When I return from foreign climes and they still play it in IMAX I’ll probably go a third time.

My older brother, who was a teenager at the time, saw the original 6 times in the theater. considering how briefly films played in my home town (small town; only 2 screens), it's a good bet that some of those viewings were on sequential days. I haven't talked to him since but I wouldn't be surprised if he's seen it again.*

*ETA: since seeing Top Gun 2. 

1 hour ago, Veltigar said:

Both Fury Road and Top Gun: Maverick are Legacy sequels that came out without any expectations and blew the original predecessor out of the water with mind-blowing action.

For me they are absolutely in the same category. Although I guess Top Gun 2 will never be as popular since it is a fundamentally optimistic film about the role of the US and it’s military in the world.

And TG 2 did record bank on Memorial Day weekend. I've seen some speculation that it could cross $1 Billion. Word of mouth is definitely good. 

I think the militarism aspect of it is secondary. Fundamentally it's a lot like Trainspotting 2. Characters at the end of their story as opposed to the beginning. Different people but the same. And the nostalgia is kind of the point without wallowing in it or using it in a cynical, fan-service sort of way.  

1 hour ago, Veltigar said:

 

  Hide contents

There was a rubbish column in the FT about how Top Gun 2’s plot was solely a reflection of US insecurity about losing its technological edge against foreign adversaries, but that article completely missed the confidence inherent to the film.

Not only does the US retain their technological edge (given the fact that the film literally opens with Tom Cruise flying a plane that is leaps and bounds better than even the 5th generation enemy jets), but the film reaffirms its belief in US values, as they carry the day even when the US is confronted with enemies that are technologically superior (as illustrated by the final dogfights).

Now it is fashionable nowadays to make jokes about American heavy-handiness and to root for the decline of the West, but as the past couple of months have shown, both US citizens and those of allied nations in Europe and elsewhere should be very grateful to Uncle Sam  for stepping up to the plate.

That of course doesn’t mean that the US is perfect. Lord knows you lot are crazy and we should all do our best to help the US live up to its values, but when the States succeeds in its lofty aspirations it is a force for good the likes of which we haven’t seen yet.

it’s therefore nice to see a film brimming with characters that embody these values and that can serve as a guiding light to both the new and old generations. 

Compare that to Fury Road in which we have basically destroyed the world. That’s so depressing. The feminism encoded in the film serves as a counter weight and embodies hope, but In the end contemporary people still failed. I’d much rather be reminded that all of us can do our bit to advert a dystopian future than the alternative.

 

Spoiler

You could just as easily argue the avengers films are about the same thing. Technologically advanced nations are always anxious about losing their technological lead; military or otherwise. And I think the author of that article is reading way too much into this. 

As for the feminism of Fury Road, This is something where George Miller has kind of been ahead of the curve for a while IMO. Certainly going back to Beyond Thunderdome and Witches of Eastwick. 

 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Starting Stranger Things Season 2.... 

I love it but those kids' BMX bikes are no where near period correct. Totally ruined the show for me. 

Here's the moneys right here. 'Even has the foam pad on the top tube so the kids don't mangle their little plums when they slip off the seat. And those super heavy injection molded plastic wheels. *Chef's kiss*

https://theoldmanclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Huff-Racing-737x1024.jpg

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

29 minutes ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Starting Stranger Things Season 2.... 

I love it but those kids' BMX bikes are no where near period correct. Totally ruined the show for me. 

Here's the moneys right here. 'Even has the foam pad on the top tube so the kids don't mangle their little plums when they slip off the seat. And those super heavy injection molded plastic wheels. *Chef's kiss*

https://theoldmanclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Huff-Racing-737x1024.jpg

Speaking from experience, no amount of foam padding can save you when a car hits your back tire and launches you into a curb...

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

37 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Speaking from experience, no amount of foam padding can save you when a car hits your back tire and launches you into a curb...

How about getting launched off the handle bars because your buddy decided to pedal down the grade as fast as he could after you screamed at him to slow down? This particular short stretch exited a hospital parking lot. In their wisdom, they built it with speed bumps. 

Kids are dicks. 

[Teng Ai Hui]

Fuck Boston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't know what I'm currently binge-watching, then you have not yet watched the best series of 2022.

[SpaceChampion]

Wasn't too excited to get back into The Orville but that premiere was great.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Stranger Things season 2

Just finished. Better than season 1 I think. I am continually amazed by the quality of this show. All the stuff WW84 got criticized for this show utterly nails. How those kids don't die terrible horrifying deaths baffles me.

Dustin's hair was amazing.

On to the much maligned season 3.

[Heartofice]

Old - M. Night

So M.Night gets a lot of flack for his writing and well, everything he does. I have to say that this movie backs up every bad thing that has ever been said about him.

The sad thing is, I think there is a good movie in there somewhere, maybe something that gets said a lot about his movies. But WOW is the dialogue awful. It's just headscratching why he makes his characters talk in the way they do, totally unrealistic,or at times bizarre.

One of the main characters, couldn't tell where she was from, IMDB tells me the actress is from Luxembourg, but the words he made her say sounded insane, like they were being spoken by an alien (ps shes not an alien). Her accent didn't help, but it was so odd.

The movie itself had an interesting concept that it did almost nothing with, instead just going for the cheapest schlock direction.

He really should just stop. Please stop.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

On 6/1/2022 at 1:24 AM, Teng Ai Hui said:

Fuck Boston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't know what I'm currently binge-watching, then you have not yet watched the best series of 2022.

Over 40 years later he's still saying FUCK BOSTON!

And fuck them tonight!!!

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Heartofice said:

He really should just stop. Please stop.

At this point I think his talents are best served writing short stories that more capable writers/directors can turn into fully fleshed out movies.

[briantw]

 

 

[Heartofice]

12 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

At this point I think his talents are best served writing short stories that more capable writers/directors can turn into fully fleshed out movies.

I’m not sure he should be allowed to write anything. I think Old is partly based on a graphic novel and he still ruined it. 
 

The best you can say about him is that he’s a reasonably competent director, in that the boom isn’t in shot and sometimes his films look nice. Maybe he can do promotional videos for logistic companies or something 

[WarGalley]

On 5/31/2022 at 8:03 AM, Zorral said:

Final episode really disappointed me.  I'd liked and been engaged and was satisfied with it up to then, though this continuation was not quite up to the standards of the previous versions.  But the final episode screwed the pooch on this continuation.  My reasons do include spoilers.

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Making it end on a cliffhanger, a cliffhanger moreover that is writing the young female protagonist of the show into the jeopardy of rape and murder -- when Our Maddie's already been through that when younger in the previous -- it's just that really frackin' lazy writing and failure of narrative imagination -- ooo, young cop in training, let have HER kidnapped and raped.  No.  Just NO.

 

Yeah, finished Bosch: Legacy last night and was disappointed by the final 2 episodes for what was a relatively solid season. I also abhor cliffhanger season finales. 

[Iskaral Pust]

1 hour ago, WarGalley said:

Yeah, finished Bosch: Legacy last night and was disappointed by the final 2 episodes for what was a relatively solid season. I also abhor cliffhanger season finales. 

Same.  Just finished it, enjoyed it overall, but hated the cliffhanger / new thread from the final few minutes of the final ep.

The switch from LAPD to private investigator removes much of the institutional bureaucracy and self-dealing but it also removes great characters like Jerry and Crate & Barrel, who all made brief cameos only.  And the new theme tune is better, so at least I’ve got that going for me.

I’ll continue watching the next season, even with annoying ads.

[Corvinus85]

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/raised-by-wolves-canceled-hbo-max-1235284387/

Raised by Wolves cancelled. I never bothered to watch season 2 after how season 1 ended. 

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, Iskaral Pust said:

I’ll continue watching the next season, even with annoying ads.

So will I, to watch the actor, Stephen A. Chang, as Maurice 'Mo' Bassi. He was the best new thing for the new series.

~~~~~~~~~

I never bothered to finish even season 1. 2 1/2 eps of Raised by Wolves was enough.  More than enough.

 

[felice]

2 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/raised-by-wolves-canceled-hbo-max-1235284387/

Raised by Wolves cancelled.

But hoping to get picked up elsewhere. #RenewRaisedByWolves

[Spockydog]

Watched the finale of Shining Girls tonight. Other than the banality of the Magic Fucking Time House™ , I really enjoyed this show. The story, script, and acting, were all first class. Elizabeth Moss in particular was amazing. Jamie Bell was pretty good as well.

Loved the ending, too.