Watch, Watched, Watching: Watching Severance and working for Lumon

[Zorral]

50 minutes ago, RhaenysBee said:

love love love love everything about this show

This will not last.  Trust me.

[RhaenysBee]

26 minutes ago, Zorral said:

This will not last.  Trust me.

Well if the rumors that Kevin Costner is leaving the show are true, than things will go downhill pretty quickly, I expect. But it was a fine fine experience while it lasted and I can move on to the Harrison Ford spinoff now. No expectations for those though. 
 

And sure, I don’t literally love everything about the show, there were some dumbass elements, but overall I would rate it at a solid 9/10 for the characters, the dialogue, the themes, the nuance, the intelligence of the writing, the cinematography, the animals the costumes and the overarching story so it safely falls into the love love love category even though I’m not trying to pretend that it’s perfect. 

Edited March 22 by RhaenysBee

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

13 hours ago, Darryk said:

Finished The Gentlemen and damn that was quality.

The film or the series?

[Argonath Diver]

This new Road House Amazon thing. I'm just angry. 

In the bar world, we pretty much have one superhero movie where in a bizarro world, bouncers are nationally respected as much as Batman or Spiderman. I've known a bunch of other guys over my career that can also quote about every line Sam Elliott uttered as Garrett. One of my most scratched up DVDs I had in the Aughts. It's stupid as shit with both a throat-rip and a polar bear knockout, and a sweaty and shredded Swayze rocking some Tai Chi. We all knew a remake would never replicate the 80s cheese-fest.

This Gyllenhal abomination is just an embarrassment all around. Cool camera angles is my best compliment. Jake's version of Dalton is such a disappointment. There's zero charm throughout, although the Amazon AI model clearly was trying for some. I'm just so surprised that Doug Liman directed one of my other absolute favorite movies of all time (Edge of Tomorrow), but this was one insultingly bad remake. McGregor was hilariously, embarrassingly bad on screen and I can only assume they CGI'd out ski trails of cocaine under his nose for all of his scenes. 

I made it about an hour. And as I type this I'm gleefully watching the original again to wash out the taste of that absolute tripe. Pain don't hurt.

Edited March 23 by Argonath Diver

[Isis]

On 3/21/2024 at 8:11 PM, Mr. Chatywin et al. said:

I really need to give Hot Fuzz a second watch. Found it kind of meh when I saw it in the theater. 

BLASPHEMY. Do you prefer Shaun of the Dead? I always find it a bit odd when people prefer that to Hot Fuzz, as I think the latter is far superior.

I watched the original Sexy Beast (film) for the first time last night. Really gave me some flashbacks to people I knew in the late 90's who were either very peripherally involved with organised crime or thought they/acted like they were. Ben Kinglsey is great, obviously. Ray Winstone looked so young. We had a bet about how old he was and I got closest. He was 43 when this was made. Kinglsey was 57. Both of them were in their prime though. I guess now I can watch the series. 

[Darryk]

10 hours ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

The film or the series?

Series

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Isis said:

BLASPHEMY. Do you prefer Shaun of the Dead? I always find it a bit odd when people prefer that to Hot Fuzz, as I think the latter is far superior.

Shaun of the Dead is my jam! It's one of the best horror comedies of all time. 

[DMC]

I'd give the slight edge to Shaun of the Dead, but I think both it and Hot Fuzz are roughly equally awesome. 

What was disappointing was the third leg of the Cornetto trilogy - The World's End. 

[Veltigar]

I attended a screening of The Peasants (Original Polish title: Chlopi) and was very happy that I got the chance, for it is not getting as wide a release as it deserves.

The film is a visual master piece, with a very unique style of "rotoscope" animation (i.e. an animation technique which uses live-action motion picture footage as its basis and then traces its animations over it, though whether that definition actually implies here is tricky see convo below) that is inspired by the realist style of painting and the Young Poland movement in particular.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that the film is basically a collection of moving oil-painting and the effect is beautiful, as you can see in the trailer below. Particularly stunning are the two dance sequences (at a wedding and one a bit later). Over a 100 painters worked on this, which in and of itself is already fascinating.

The visuals are not the only attraction however. The film is based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Władysław Reymont that intrigues me, as the story begins and progresses in a kind of straightforward way for these type of naturalistic peasant stories before veering into a somewhat unexpected ending (which the trailer does not hint at).

I also loved all the folklore depicted on screen. It feels like it really could have been a slice of life of Poland during the early 1900s and the whole atmosphere is improved even further by a wonderful score. It really gives the whole film a kind of eeriness which fits perfectly with the painted visuals.

Finally, I thought lead actress Kamila Urzedowska did a great job inhabiting her character. Not all performances are equally strong, but she brings across the kindness of the character very well. The painted style also further magnifies her considerable beauty. If her English is any decent, I'd not be surprised to see her in bigger films from now on.

Anyways, strongly recommend seeing the film.

The promised trailer:

I'll also share this very interesting article about the production process of this film:

Quote

The Making of 'The Peasants', a Painted Film - Jackson's Art Blog (jacksonsart.com)

 

Edited March 24 by Veltigar

[Relic]

28 minutes ago, Veltigar said:

I attended a screening of The Peasants (Original Polish title: Chlopi) and was very happy that I got the chance, for it is not getting as wide a release as it deserves.

The film is a visual master piece, with a very unique style of rotoscope animation (i.e. an animation technique which uses live-action motion picture footage as its basis and then traces its animations over it) that is inspired by the realist style of painting and the Young Poland movement in particular.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that the film is basically a collection of moving oil-painting and the effect is beautiful, as you can see in the trailer below. Particularly stunning are the two dance sequences (at a wedding and one a bit later). Over a 100 painters worked on this, which in and of itself is already fascinating.

The visuals are not the only attraction however. The film is based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Władysław Reymont that intrigues me, as the story begins and progresses in a kind of straightforward way for these type of naturalistic peasant stories before veering into a somewhat unexpected ending (which the trailer does not hint at).

I also loved all the folklore depicted on screen. It feels like it really could have been a slice of life of Poland during the early 1900s and the whole atmosphere is improved even further by a wonderful score. It really gives the whole film a kind of eeriness which fits perfectly with the painted visuals.

Finally, I thought lead actress Kamila Urzedowska did a great job inhabiting her character. Not all performances are equally strong, but she brings across the kindness of the character very well. The painted style also further magnifies her considerable beauty. If her English is any decent, I'd not be surprised to see her in bigger films from now on.

Anyways, strongly recommend seeing the film.

The promised trailer:

I'll also share this very interesting article about the production process of this film:

 

Very cool, thanks for sharing. Rotoscoping has come a long way...

[Which Tyler]

1 hour ago, DMC said:

I'd give the slight edge to Shaun of the Dead, but I think both it and Hot Fuzz are roughly equally awesome. 

What was disappointing was the third leg of the Cornetto trilogy - The World's End. 

Always substitute in Paul when watching the trilogy

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

4 hours ago, DMC said:

What was disappointing was the third leg of the Cornetto trilogy - The World's End. 

Was it? I thought it was pretty good.

[polishgenius]

4 hours ago, Veltigar said:

 

The film is a visual master piece, with a very unique style of rotoscope animation (i.e. an animation technique which uses live-action motion picture footage as its basis and then traces its animations over it) that is inspired by the realist style of painting and the Young Poland movement in particular.

 

It's not actually rotoscoping, as far as I can tell. They weren't tracing over the frames, they were just painting oil paintings replicating each frame. 

[3CityApache]

5 hours ago, Veltigar said:

I attended a screening of The Peasants (Original Polish title: Chlopi) and was very happy that I got the chance, for it is not getting as wide a release as it deserves.

The film is a visual master piece, with a very unique style of rotoscope animation (i.e. an animation technique which uses live-action motion picture footage as its basis and then traces its animations over it) that is inspired by the realist style of painting and the Young Poland movement in particular.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that the film is basically a collection of moving oil-painting and the effect is beautiful, as you can see in the trailer below. Particularly stunning are the two dance sequences (at a wedding and one a bit later). Over a 100 painters worked on this, which in and of itself is already fascinating.

The visuals are not the only attraction however. The film is based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Władysław Reymont that intrigues me, as the story begins and progresses in a kind of straightforward way for these type of naturalistic peasant stories before veering into a somewhat unexpected ending (which the trailer does not hint at).

I also loved all the folklore depicted on screen. It feels like it really could have been a slice of life of Poland during the early 1900s and the whole atmosphere is improved even further by a wonderful score. It really gives the whole film a kind of eeriness which fits perfectly with the painted visuals.

Finally, I thought lead actress Kamila Urzedowska did a great job inhabiting her character. Not all performances are equally strong, but she brings across the kindness of the character very well. The painted style also further magnifies her considerable beauty. If her English is any decent, I'd not be surprised to see her in bigger films from now on.

Anyways, strongly recommend seeing the film.

The promised trailer:

I'll also share this very interesting article about the production process of this film:

 

Fun fact: Peasants was one of the books I hated the most when forced to read it at school, but now I just think I was too young for it. Reymont also wrote a book callled A Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana), about industrial Łódź, which was brilliantly adapted for screen by Andrzej Wajda. Also recommend if it’s possible to find it. 
 

Peasants movie is very good indeed. Though Mirosław Baka, playing old Boryna is imo the best actor in it by far. I haven’t even seen this girl in anything before. 

Edited March 23 by 3CityApache

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

Saw Poor Things , didn’t think Yorgos would put in left wing politics in his movie but there you go…

[Veltigar]

Did another Shōgun/Scorsese tie up by watching the latest episode of Shōgun and then following it up with Scorsese's Mean Streets.

As to Shōgun, I can basically repeat my critique from all the previous episodes. It looks visually sumptuous and I'm quite fond of the actors, but story wise there is something missing for me. I finished up the novel last week, so this is the first episode where I know to what ending it is building, and I now think that I know what is missing.

The novel is very good at explaining the cultural concepts that animate this faux-Japan. Leaving historical accuracy aside for a moment, it's very effective in giving us as readers a glimpse into a completely alien culture. I feel that is extremely hard to adapt and it shows on screen. I'm still enjoying the series however and I think it does a great job given the difficulties of the material.

As to Mean Streets, this is definitely a film that is of its time. I have read quite a few reviews pointing out a lot of the very novel things Scorsese was doing (e.g. the use of rock music, the hand-held camera, etc.) and acknowledge the fact that it was very influential. 

That being said, as a dramatic piece of work it has aged terribly. I was bored throughout and if it wasn't relatively short I don't think I would have finished it. I think about 10 minutes in we checked to see whether it wasn't a three-hour extravaganza like most of Scorsese latter movies and I don't think my friend and I would have continued very long if that had been the case.

In other words, if you're a completionist, a big Scorsese fan or a student of film history, this might be worth checking out. For anyone just looking for a good time, I'd recommend going elsewhere.

 

13 hours ago, polishgenius said:

 

It's not actually rotoscoping, as far as I can tell. They weren't tracing over the frames, they were just painting oil paintings replicating each frame. 

Hmmm, they do refer to it as rotoscoping in most articles I have read about the film. You do seem to be right that they didn't trace over the frames on looking into it though. Quite confusing.

12 hours ago, 3CityApache said:

Fun fact: Peasants was one of the books I hated the most when forced to read it at school, but now I just think I was too young for it. Reymont also wrote a book callled A Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana), about industrial Łódź, which was brilliantly adapted for screen by Andrzej Wajda. Also recommend if it’s possible to find it. 

I'm definitely tempted to check out the source novel, though the length is kind of daunting. Perhaps even more surprising is that the film makes me want to check out some of the peasant literature from my own country. I read a few of the books by our own naturalistic authors when I was in high school and also did not like them too much back them. Perhaps I should give them another shot.

12 hours ago, 3CityApache said:

Peasants movie is very good indeed. Though Mirosław Baka, playing old Boryna is imo the best actor in it by far. I haven’t even seen this girl in anything before. 

He was good in it that's true. The fact that the lead actress has only played bit parts in other things is kind of baffling to me, given her age. I'm assuming she is pursuing some other career and the acting is more of a side hustle.

I think the weakest link for me was 

Spoiler

The guy playing Antek. He never got past the brooding child stage in his performance and I think he was somewhate lacking in charisma.  

 

Edited March 24 by Veltigar

[Zorral]

5 hours ago, Veltigar said:

Mean Streets, this is definitely a film that is of its time.

It's also still very much a film of its place, and part of being a film of its place, it's central to Scorsese's filmic history of NYC.  For me, at least, this film only gets more admirable the more often I watch it.  The first time I saw it, it made no sense to me, out there in New Mexico, knowing nothing of the history NYC beyond beads and Manhattan and Peter Stuyvesant's wooden leg.  The next I saw it, I had walked some of the streets here.  And now I know a whole effwad about NYC past and present -- and it doesn't age.  It has a place, a place in time, the place Scorsese knew where it was when he made it. 

[BigFatCoward]

My wife wants to watch the Luther film, I've heard it's dogshit and I'm dreading it. Without that crazy sexy minx it won't be the same. 

[3CityApache]

10 hours ago, Veltigar said:

The fact that the lead actress has only played bit parts in other things is kind of baffling to me, given her age. I'm assuming she is pursuing some other career and the acting is more of a side hustle.

I understand they were deliberately aiming for a not very well known actress, which probably makes sense.

10 hours ago, Veltigar said:

I think the weakest link for me was 

  Reveal hidden contents

The guy playing Antek. He never got past the brooding child stage in his performance and I think he was somewhate lacking in charisma.  

 

Agreed.

[Nictarion]

You’ll Never Find Me is pretty great. Australian horror rarely misses for me.