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[Jace, Extat]

Ah, Misfits! I liked that one. Don't recall the rape you speak of, I watched just after it aired... Goddamn had to be like almost fifteen years ago now 

Anyway, my first exposure to both the Future Mrs. Catelyn Stark and, of course, the Future Mr. Ramsay Bolton. 

I literally stole the idea of pretending to smoke when I was in the Army from this show. 

"Smokers get all the breaks." Is what the kid says in the Nazi Future Dystopia storyline. 

I did that, irl! 

I'd buy a pack of blue camel crush's and it'd last me a month because I'd light the cigarette, puff once, and then it would go out while I stood there hanging out.  

 

 

Eta: I guess it only came out ten years ago. Felt longer. 

[Annara Snow]

1 hour ago, Secretary of Eumenes said:

Ah, Misfits! I liked that one. Don't recall the rape you speak of, I watched just after it aired... Goddamn had to be like almost fifteen years ago now 

Anyway, my first exposure to both the Future Mrs. Catelyn Stark and, of course, the Future Mr. Ramsay Bolton. 

I literally stole the idea of pretending to smoke when I was in the Army from this show. 

"Smokers get all the breaks." Is what the kid says in the Nazi Future Dystopia storyline. 

I did that, irl! 

I'd buy a pack of blue camel crush's and it'd last me a month because I'd light the cigarette, puff once, and then it would go out while I stood there hanging out.  

 

 

Eta: I guess it only came out ten years ago. Felt longer. 

Season 1 was in 2009. It ended ten years ago..

Nazi Future Dystopia storyline? That sounds like it will be fun, though probably not very original.

Spoiler

Everything about Alisha's power is so messed up. She doesn't generally have control over it - anyone who touches her wants desperately to have sex with her - but she decided to use it to have sex with people twice, wth Curtis and with another hot uy who was a volunteer at the Centre or something.

Neither of the had any control over how they were behaving while under the influence of her power, no ability whatsoever to give consent, which she knew, and they didn't even remember anything afterwards. Curtis even acts extremely upset when he realizes what happened, and yells "You can't do that to people". but then he gets over it before the end of the episode, after she decides she wouldn't do it anymore, because it's unfulfilling, and they become an item

Jessica Jones season 1 came out 6 years later. Did TV writers before that not give any thought to what it means when characters use mind control to have sex with someone?

[Jace, Extat]

11 minutes ago, Annara Snow said:

Season 1 was in 2009. It ended ten years ago..

Nazi Future Dystopia storyline? That sounds like it will be fun, though probably not very original.

  Reveal hidden contents

Everything about Alisha's power is so messed up. She doesn't generally have control over it - anyone who touches her wants desperately to have sex with her - but she decided to use it to have sex with people twice, wth Curtis and with another hot uy who was a volunteer at the Centre or something.

Neither of the had any control over how they were behaving while under the influence of her power, no ability whatsoever to give consent, which she knew, and they didn't even remember anything afterwards. Curtis even acts extremely upset when he realizes what happened, and yells "You can't do that to people". but then he gets over it before the end of the episode, after she decides she wouldn't do it anymore, because it's unfulfilling, and they become an item

Jessica Jones season 1 came out 6 years later. Did TV writers before that not give any thought to what it means when characters use mind control to have sex with someone?

I recall that now. I always interpreted the character as being a victim of her own power. Like, it was more about the helplessness of "triggering" a rape just by touching someone for her...

She's the victim of her powers. It was like an inversion of female empowerment commentary, at least that's what I always understood about it.

Regarding the specific episode/interaction that you're talking about... I mean, victims of abuse are tragically likely to perpetuate abuse on others. This is a well-known thing: although previously overstated as far as percentages and whatnot...

I know this personally. Doctors scared the fuck out of me and my sister with this fact and I'm not blaming them for the fact that I don't like to be touched and get very nervous when interacting in... situations. But I think it's brave and important writing to have characters/stories like you're describing. Forgiveness and understanding are underrated, not every character needs to be put down the moment they fail to overcome their failings - 

NOT AN EXCUSE FOR RAPE: AN ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS AN ARTISTIC DEPICTION OF NON-CONSENT REGARDING A CHARACTER WHOSE STORY IS LITERALLY ABOUT CONSENT/NON-CONSENT

THERE'S A DIFFERENCE 

[Annara Snow]

4 hours ago, Secretary of Eumenes said:

I recall that now. I always interpreted the character as being a victim of her own power. Like, it was more about the helplessness of "triggering" a rape just by touching someone for her...

She's the victim of her powers. It was like an inversion of female empowerment commentary, at least that's what I always understood about it.

Regarding the specific episode/interaction that you're talking about... I mean, victims of abuse are tragically likely to perpetuate abuse on others. This is a well-known thing: although previously overstated as far as percentages and whatnot...

I know this personally. Doctors scared the fuck out of me and my sister with this fact and I'm not blaming them for the fact that I don't like to be touched and get very nervous when interacting in... situations. But I think it's brave and important writing to have characters/stories like you're describing. Forgiveness and understanding are underrated, not every character needs to be put down the moment they fail to overcome their failings - 

NOT AN EXCUSE FOR RAPE: AN ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS AN ARTISTIC DEPICTION OF NON-CONSENT REGARDING A CHARACTER WHOSE STORY IS LITERALLY ABOUT CONSENT/NON-CONSENT

THERE'S A DIFFERENCE 

The power is definitely awful for her, once she realises she doesn't want to abuse if that way anymore - I think she says it's more of a curse.

I agree about forgiveness, but the way their interaction was depicted, it didn't feel like the writers gave it that much weight. They make up by the end of the episode, when she decides she doesn't want to do it anymore because of how empty it feels and him saying she doesn't have to do it on him because he wants her by himself anyway. It was portrayed more like the equivalent of, say, not wanting to have one night stands but commit to a relationship instead, rather than something involving lack of consent.

Aside from that, her power also in general feels like a way to stop a girl who previously enjoyed an active sex life with a lot of casual sex, from being able to have sex anymore, unless she's violating other people's consent (and when she isn't doing that but only inadvertently  triggering other people's responses, she's in unpleasant situations where she's in danger of being raped herself because of how uncontrollable those triggered sometimes are)... And I don't know how I feel about that entire storyline, and what the show is trying to do with that.

[BigFatCoward]

There was also the rather creepy old woman/young woman storyline where she tricked Nathan into sex. I assumed that's what you were referring to initially. 

Misfits was awesome, for the first 3 years at least. 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

DC: League of Super Pets

Way better written, way more clever, and way funnier than I was expecting. Not as good as Puss in Boots 2, but better than many of the other 2022 animated films I've seen.

Yeah, it's got a few groan inducing moments and plenty of cheese, but it's just a fun kids movie. When people talk about a film "embracing is goofiness" as a positive, I think this is what they're talking about. There's one sequence with a homicidal kitten that was gloriously bonkers.

It also demonstrates a good depth of knowledge when it comes to classic DC stuff, with some interesting references to previous films. 

It doesn't blaze any new trails in terms of the animation, but it's solid and more than good enough to have me questioning the reported $90 million production cost. A film like that with that IP and that voice cast; it doesn't seem possible.  Kate McKinnon stands out. 

[Ran]

Continuing Perry Mason. It won't blow anyone away, but it's a solid prestige historical detective show.

Vinland Saga has remained quite interesting, although this particular episode was kind of an oddity in that it did some very over-the-top comedic stuff that I suspect is true to the manga but give a very different feel to things. That said, the development of Cnute has been stellar. He's a real "the ends justify the means" guy now.

Watched the Orson Welles film F is for Fake, which I gather has had a recent critical reappraisal. It's hard to explain, but it's quite meta and delightfully weird. Its initial focus is on a famous art forger and an American writer who rose to fame by writing his biography... but then as things play on, maybe there's more than meets the eye to everybody. Oja Kodar, who played an important role in the long delay in but final completion of The Other Side of the Wind, features in book-end segments that are interesting tangents that then prove kind of pivotal in a meta-textual way. Really interesting thing, the film, and I'm glad I've seen it. Howard Hughes ends up featuring part way through, which I did not expect but pairs nicely with my recent re-watch of The Aviator.

[Raja]

Saw Aftersun today

It felt like one of those films that sinks into you in a particular way, and one that should be enjoyed in the cinema as opposed to at home

I thought it was stunning, really. Wells' direction really stands out to me, with really close up shots of arms, legs, shoulders and of course faces. I think there is a subtelty in the direction too - there are several shots of people in the pool, and when we're looking through Sophie's eyes, we see the camera stay on women rather than the men which hints at her sexuality. It wasn't something I initially picked up on but when we cut to later in the movie, it makes sense.

The performances are gorgeous, and the film really stays with you. Or it's really stayed with me at least.

Also, the score is great.

No surprise that Jenkins & Romanksi are producers on this, seems like exactly the kind of movie they would produce.

[Ran]

It's a great film. Glad more people are seeing it!

[SpaceChampion]

Anyone know why Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is releasing early in a few place on a Sunday?  Or is that just in Canada?  And not even widely, until Thursday.

[Ran]

1 hour ago, SpaceChampion said:

Anyone know why Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is releasing early in a few place on a Sunday?  Or is that just in Canada?  And not even widely, until Thursday.

Who knows. Tracking is very bad, though, from what I've read, so maybe they've decided to try and sneak out some extra screenings that won't have much word-of-mouth impact to squeeze out a bit more box office return?

[SpaceChampion]

1 hour ago, Ran said:

Who knows. Tracking is very bad, though, from what I've read, so maybe they've decided to try and sneak out some extra screenings that won't have much word-of-mouth impact to squeeze out a bit more box office return?

Don't know what you've been reading but it's had solid positive reviews so far.  88% fresh.

[Ran]

4 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

Don't know what you've been reading but it's had solid positive reviews so far.  88% fresh.

Positive reviews, yes, tracking for box office performance, no. I think latest estimates had it opening in the Shazam 2 range, but on half again the budget, and Shazam 2 is underperforming as it is.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Google tells me D&D HAT has a budget of $151 million US dollars. Depending on the marketing spend and commercial tie-ins, it probably needs $400-$500 million to break even. 

[ithanos]

8 hours ago, SpaceChampion said:

Anyone know why Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is releasing early in a few place on a Sunday?  Or is that just in Canada?  And not even widely, until Thursday.

If you hadn't posted this I wouldn't have checked my local. There was nothing billed yesterday when I looked, but today there were a couple sessions. Sooo, John Wick IV can wait, I traipsed out catch the midday session.

If you enjoyed the last full trailer, then you're in for a real treat. This had no business being this enjoyable.
The CGI/effects looked like they spent time polishing them up - take a lesson here Disney/Marvel. It did feel long - but then we got to spend plenty time with every character. I thought Pine did a great job with his plans. Some of the humour was hit & miss but a lot of hit stuck. The graveyard scene was hilarious.  

If you didn't enjoy the trailer, or see any potential in it, then maybe go see something else. I'm definitely going to watch this again, whether on the big screen or when it hits the small screen. Recommended.

[Veltigar]

I went to see John Wick Chapter IV yesterday with some friends and had a great time. One of them had never seen any John Wick films before and was hesitant to give it a try seeing how it was the fourth film in a franchise, but afterwards he came to me and said it was exactly the relaxation he needed after a very busy week at work 

I feel like this film really shows the evolution of the director's abilities. It's a step up on almost every level, bar one. It succeeds into creating a more interesting narrative and it introduces interesting characters at a faster pace than prior instalments. Visually it's also stunning, with beautiful use of colours and neon (I'd say that Refn is a major influence) and a lot of locations that flash just how lavish the budget must have been. 

The one thing that wasn't a step up, strangely enough, was the action. This franchise has the best action violence of the last years. I love how brutal it remains and there were plenty of creative kills. What I was missing however, was something new. A lot of action scenes reminded me of things they did in the first and third film especially. That's not a bad thing per se, because those films are awesome. I did however feel like a lot of it was just a parade of greatest hits (here is Keanu killing people in a nightclub, here in a muscle car, here is a dog, etc.) and that perhaps the creative team needs time to germinate some new ideas for fight scenes.

I read on the internet that John Wick is taking a break for now (although there are spin-offs in the work), but I do suspect he'll eventually return. It wouldn't surprise me if a longer hiatus would be good for the franchise and lead to a truly spectacular 5th film.

[dbunting]

54 minutes ago, Veltigar said:

I went to see John Wick Chapter IV yesterday with some friends and had a great time. One of them had never seen any John Wick films before and was hesitant to give it a try seeing how it was the fourth film in a franchise, but afterwards he came to me and said it was exactly the relaxation he needed after a very busy week at work 

I feel like this film really shows the evolution of the director's abilities. It's a step up on almost every level, bar one. It succeeds into creating a more interesting narrative and it introduces interesting characters at a faster pace than prior instalments. Visually it's also stunning, with beautiful use of colours and neon (I'd say that Refn is a major influence) and a lot of locations that flash just how lavish the budget must have been. 

The one thing that wasn't a step up, strangely enough, was the action. This franchise has the best action violence of the last years. I love how brutal it remains and there were plenty of creative kills. What I was missing however, was something new. A lot of action scenes reminded me of things they did in the first and third film especially. That's not a bad thing per se, because those films are awesome. I did however feel like a lot of it was just a parade of greatest hits (here is Keanu killing people in a nightclub, here in a muscle car, here is a dog, etc.) and that perhaps the creative team needs time to germinate some new ideas for fight scenes.

I read on the internet that John Wick is taking a break for now (although there are spin-offs in the work), but I do suspect he'll eventually return. It wouldn't surprise me if a longer hiatus would be good for the franchise and lead to a truly spectacular 5th film.

I plan to see it this weekend, know I'll enjoy it no matter what.  The original has now gotten to where if I am channel surfing and I see it's on I have to stop and watch it for a little while. The sequels not so much.

[Cas Stark]

Started watching The Offer.  I think I'll stick with it.  Some of the casting was spectacular, some, not so great.  

[Werthead]

Started watching Corporate due to Lance Reddick's presence, but it's a pretty great show in its own right. Somewhere between The Office and Succession, with a slight hint of Mr. Robot.

The highlight so far is Reddick's character's comic-horror monologue about how corporations see movie and TV franchises moving forwards.

Quote

 

"Society Tomorrow will not be ending. There will be sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes and ill-advised spin-offs with side characters that cannot possibly carry their own series. And sure, you'll all complain about how Society Tomorrow used to be better, but that anger will unite you. And so you'll keep watching, hoping it will end. Begging for it to end. And then you'll die. And then your children will watch, and then they'll die, and so on. We're going to milk that creative IP until the udder runs dry!

"This is the future of content! AND CONTENT WILL NEVER DIE!"

 

Also, the scene where he tries to acquire the streaming rights to Gilmore Girls from the rights-holders is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[Ran]

Watched Runaway Train, a 1985 Cannon Group/Golan-Globus film that is shockingly good. It starts out over the top with a maximum security prison in Alaska that seems on the  verge of perpetual rioting, as news comes that a prisoner named Manheim who's been welded into a cell for three years has been ordered by a court to be moved out of solitary. Played by Jon Voight, Manheim (aka Manny) is a dangerous repeat escapee, fearless and absolutely opposed to authority. The Deputy Warden wnats to kill him, and eggs him on to escape again, which he does along with a handsome galoot named Buck (Eric Roberts) who insists on tagging along. They manage to hop a train in the train yard, but the engineer collapses from a heart attack with the train locked in motion, and the rest of the plot goes from there.

Wonder of wonders (for those who know the level of quality generally associated with Cannon) the film scored Academy Award nominations for best actor and best supporting actor for Voight and Roberts. And, get this: the screenplay is based on an Akira Kurosawa screenplay(!!!)

I felt some strong nostalgia from that early-to-mid 80s era of film, I admit, but the film is surprisingly deep. Interestingly, though, I have to say they took the license of "Akira Kurosawa screenplay" and actually added a lot more meat to Kurosawa's original screenplay (which, to be fair, had been written in the 1960s for a film that was never produced, so it probably feels a bit staid compared to the final product). The over-the-top, campy prison section aside, Manheim as a wild anarchic anti-authoritarian force is very much a terrific invention of the screenwriters assigned to adapt Kurosawa's screenplay, and it really adds something to the movie. There's some genuinely philosophical stuff in there as well, and I was very surprised when looking at Kurosawa's screenplay how... well, unambitious it was. It has too many characters, and Manny and Buck are much less vital, and the ending is very different. Again, he intended to make it 20 years earlier, so some of the visceral things they did in 1985 wouldn't have flown in 1966.