Re: tOfficial General Movies and TV Shows Discussion/Criticism Thread

[Rocinante]

That hair doesn’t do it for you huh Floyd? I’d imagine it’s rather popular with your tinder harem.

[tGreenWay]

Finally watched 1917. Maybe I expected too much because of all the raves and award nominations, but I found this movie overrated. It’s not half the movie Saving Private Ryan was, and Mendes’ use of green screen was obvious and disappointing. Most of the time it felt like it was filmed on a set and not on location. The characters kept doing stupid stuff, which led to bad things happening.
I’d give it maybe a low 7.

[tGreenWay]

Meanwhile, I continue finding myself enchanted during those rare occasions when I happen upon Pleasantville showing on cable and I have time to stop and watch. Can’t recall if I originally saw this when it was first released or if I watched it when it went to video, but it’s been a top ten favorite ever since. I even like low-key Tobey Maguire, and Don Knotts steals the few scenes he’s in the film. It’s a really clever work addressing a political topic.

Yes, I used the word enchanted to describe a movie-inspired emotion. Get over it.

[MiamiSpartan]

Finally watched 1917. Maybe I expected too much because of all the raves and award nominations, but I found this movie overrated. It’s not half the movie Saving Private Ryan was, and Mendes’ use of green screen was obvious and disappointing. Most of the time it felt like it was filmed on a set and not on location. The characters kept doing stupid stuff, which led to bad things happening.
I’d give it maybe a low 7.

I could be wrong, but I think most of the raves were based on it from a film-making perspective, such as the single camera shot for the entire movie. That was pretty incredible.

I'm not saying it is the greatest, but I liked it. WWI gets under-represented in movies and pop culture, so I appreciated it from that perspective. I thought the whole part going through the trenches and across no man's land, was brilliantly horrible. I have a strong stomach for violence and gore, and that was making it turn. It should. It was an unimaginable situation. It is the best visual representation I've seen of the horrors of typical WWI battlefields/trenches. In that, I liken it to the DDay landing scene in Saving Private Ryan. Both are among the most horrifying scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

[Rocinante]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t think it actually was one long tracking shot. I think it was made to look like that. There are movies out there or at least episodes of tv shows that were one long shot. I think there’s one on the first season of true detective.

[MiamiSpartan]

Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t think it actually was one long tracking shot. I think it was made to look like that. There are movies out there or at least episodes of tv shows that were one long shot. I think there’s one on the first season of true detective.

No, not literally 2 hours or whatever without cutting. But lots of long spells following them, and creative cut points so that you don't really feel like there was ever a cut.

[kingstonlake]

The short WWI scene from Legends of the Fall where Brad Pitts little brother gets mowed down still sticks with me.

[kingstonlake]

Midnight Sky.

Not bad.

[tGreenWay]

Finally watched 1917. Maybe I expected too much because of all the raves and award nominations, but I found this movie overrated. It’s not half the movie Saving Private Ryan was, and Mendes’ use of green screen was obvious and disappointing. Most of the time it felt like it was filmed on a set and not on location. The characters kept doing stupid stuff, which led to bad things happening.
I’d give it maybe a low 7.

I could be wrong, but I think most of the raves were based on it from a film-making perspective, such as the single camera shot for the entire movie. That was pretty incredible.

I'm not saying it is the greatest, but I liked it. WWI gets under-represented in movies and pop culture, so I appreciated it from that perspective. I thought the whole part going through the trenches and across no man's land, was brilliantly horrible. I have a strong stomach for violence and gore, and that was making it turn. It should. It was an unimaginable situation. It is the best visual representation I've seen of the horrors of typical WWI battlefields/trenches. In that, I liken it to the DDay landing scene in Saving Private Ryan. Both are among the most horrifying scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

As Roc said, it’s not one continuous shot. And I didn’t dislike the movie; I found it overrated. I liked it. And yeah, I like that someone did a movie about WWI. But the green screen portions, especially at the beginning, were painfully obvious, as was the looping dialogue throughout. Like I said, it felt like most of the movie was filmed on set and not on location.

Slight spoilers ahead:

As to the realism of war wounded, I disagree. Only once did I feel uncomfortable, and that was when all the bodies had piled up against a natural dam. I actually felt something when the character was making his way past all those floaters. Early in the movie, when they were in the pit with all those corpses, it seemed only superficially real. Whereas, in Saving Private Ryan, I was seriously tensed up and slightly sick to my stomach for the first thirty minutes of the film and then again in later scenes.
Mendes tried to sell audiences on the one-shot gimmick and he couldn’t even do that right. 1917 doesn’t belong in the same breath as Ryan, Platoon, or Apocalypse Now, to name just three.

[MiamiSpartan]

I didn't mean the war wounded, but rather the display of the overall conditions, the filth, the rats, the mud, the barbed wire, the lack as so much as a blade of grass alive for miles (which was contrasted later in the other field before the battle started, just to remind us of the before and after of a WWI battleground). I don't really have much of an eye for CGI, or at least dont think about it much. Or perhaps some of the first hand descriptions that I've read helped me feel the visuals more, where I could almost smell the stench.

FWIW, I dont put Saving Private Ryan in the same breath as Apocalypse Now, but that's just me. Very good movie, but Apocalypse Now is next level for me.

[tGreenWay]

Watching Your Honor and The Night Of and enjoying both. The Night Of is a one season season story about a college age Pakistani boy who parties and has sex with a woman he finds dead in their bed the next morning. She’s sliced up big time.

Pretty sure Your Honor has already been discussed.

[tGreenWay]

Also really enjoyed The King of Staten Island, with Pete Davidson, Marissa Tomei, and Bill Burr. Definitely a semi-autobiographical movie about Davidson, who helped write the script and produce the movie. Judd Apatow directs. Bill Burr is good in this.

[MiamiSpartan]

A couple of others in this or the other thread recommended Ted Lasso on Apple TV+, and I want to support that recommendation. Great show. Funny, and also just a fun to watch with a pretty likeable cast. Lots of good puns and subtle jokes, which I like.

[InTenSity]

Watching Your Honor and The Night Of and enjoying both. The Night Of is a one season season story about a college age Pakistani boy who parties and has sex with a woman he finds dead in their bed the next morning. She’s sliced up big time.

Pretty sure Your Honor has already been discussed.

I enjoyed The Night Of. Great show.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Letterkenny season 9 review:

Episode 2 is great... The rest is meh.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Actually, 7 episodes and a couple were only like 20 min so it didn't even feel like a season.

"Kids with problems" is gold though.

[DWags]

How true is the movie Notorious?

[WhiteBoyHatcher]

Exaggerated.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Enjoying the annual "Twilight Zone" marathon on SyFy.

[WhiteBoyHatcher]

Anyone watch Vikings? I watched S1E1 the other night. Interesting enough to keep going. Worth it? No spoilers please.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Anyone watch Vikings? I watched S1E1 the other night. Interesting enough to keep going. Worth it? No spoilers please.

Yes... The first 4-5 seasons are very good.

You'll know when to stop.

[aualum06]

Anyone watch Vikings? I watched S1E1 the other night. Interesting enough to keep going. Worth it? No spoilers please.

Yes... The first 4-5 seasons are very good.

You'll know when to stop.

Yeah it's slow but it's pretty solid. I think there is half a season left to be released someday

[Floyd Robertson]

Anyone watch Vikings? I watched S1E1 the other night. Interesting enough to keep going. Worth it? No spoilers please.

Hell yes, Vikings is awesome. Not kid friendly at all though.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Not kid friendly at all though.

Spoiler:

[MiamiSpartan]

Yes... The first 4-5 seasons are very good.

You'll know when to stop.

Yeah it's slow but it's pretty solid. I think there is half a season left to be released someday

Agree with this.

And the last half season was just released on Prime on December 30 (I haven't watched yet). It is the first network series season to be premiered on a streaming service first, I believe. It will be released on History Channel a few months down the road (I thought I heard 3-6 months).

They did this, because there is a sequel series that takes place 100-150 years later, which I believe will be on Prime.

[kingstonlake]

Yeah it's slow but it's pretty solid. I think there is half a season left to be released someday

Agree with this.

And the last half season was just released on Prime on December 30 (I haven't watched yet). It is the first network series season to be premiered on a streaming service first, I believe. It will be released on History Channel a few months down the road (I thought I heard 3-6 months).

They did this, because there is a sequel series that takes place 100-150 years later, which I believe will be on Prime.

I don't think I'll be around for that one.

[MiamiSpartan]

Agree with this.

And the last half season was just released on Prime on December 30 (I haven't watched yet). It is the first network series season to be premiered on a streaming service first, I believe. It will be released on History Channel a few months down the road (I thought I heard 3-6 months).

They did this, because there is a sequel series that takes place 100-150 years later, which I believe will be on Prime.

I don't think I'll be around for that one.

Have a little faith in science.

[steveschneider]

Just watched that movie about Doug Kenney 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' that came out in 2018 on Netflix. I give it overall a C or a Meh. Would have been a perfect film to watch on a flight.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Just watched that movie about Doug Kenney 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' that came out in 2018 on Netflix. I give it overall a C or a Meh. Would have been a perfect film to watch on a flight.

yeah, film wasn't great, but I didn't know his story. Damn, dude had his hand in comedy that set the tone for a generation.

[steveschneider]

Just watched that movie about Doug Kenney 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' that came out in 2018 on Netflix. I give it overall a C or a Meh. Would have been a perfect film to watch on a flight.

yeah, film wasn't great, but I didn't know his story. Damn, dude had his hand in comedy that set the tone for a generation.

Looked like it was based on a book. I’d love to get something that cut out the dramatization and get the real scoop. He’s definitely an interesting subject.

[Rocinante]

Anybody watched Undone on Amazon. It’s presented in a animated form like A Scanner, Darkly which initially tuned me off, but after watching some episodes it’s actually really well acted and written. It’s kind of a psychological/ sci-fi drama. Worth a watch. The main character and the guy from Better call Saul are especially good.

[tGreenWay]

Anybody watched Undone on Amazon. It’s presented in a animated form like A Scanner, Darkly which initially tuned me off, but after watching some episodes it’s actually really well acted and written. It’s kind of a psychological/ sci-fi drama. Worth a watch. The main character and the guy from Better call Saul are especially good.

I watched The Undoing. Maybe that’s the prequel to your show.

[Rocinante]

It’s not, greenway but thanks.

[tGreenWay]

BTW, for no explicable reason, that style of animation weirds me out.

[tGreenWay]

It’s not, greenway but thanks.

I know. Just thought I’d favor you with some written razzmatazz to start your week. You’re welcome.

[aualum06]

Thanks for the heads up on vikings being in prime

[AvgMSUJoe]

Did anyone suggest Perry Mason on hbo?

Just getting through it now. Damn good tv.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Also enjoying HBO's version of His Dark Materials... Seem to follow the books pretty closely (as far as I remember, been a couple years)

[Rocinante]

Did anyone suggest Perry Mason on hbo?

Just getting through it now. Damn good tv.

Yeah I really like Matthew Rhys. Good show.

Although I was again disappointed by a prosthetic penis in one of the episodes.

[AvgMSUJoe]

Did anyone suggest Perry Mason on hbo?

Just getting through it now. Damn good tv.

Yeah I really like Matthew Rhys. Good show.

Although I was again disappointed by a prosthetic penis in one of the episodes.

Yeah, made me uncomfortable with my manhood. Looking into surgical options.

[Sponsored content]