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Offline spoon

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1020 on: January 05, 2015, 08:53:16 PM »
Altered States (Ken Russell)

Creepy, I loved it. The ending sequence was the best made part.
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Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1021 on: January 07, 2015, 03:54:07 PM »
I watched the premiere of Agent Carter, and it was great.  The 1940s setting is realized very well, the characters are fun and distinctive, and Hayley Atwell in particular is excellent as the lead.  And even though there is a fun, lighthearted feel to the show, it's definitely not as goofy as something like the first Captain America.  All in all, it's a great start for Marvel's first female-led adaptation.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1022 on: January 08, 2015, 12:38:26 AM »
The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

Finally, a Scorsese picture about assholes that I actually enjoyed watching. It is a film that, with its 180 minute runtime and relentless nature, totally embodies the excess of the characters, their giant houses, yachts, private planes, quaalude and cocaine fuelled parties, and their belief in their own infallibility, their own immortality. Having said that, it is a remarkably easy film to watch, although DiCaprio's smug face and thousand-dollar suits are on display in almost every shot, there is a sense of being removed from the madness ever so slightly so that one sees it for the ludicrous comedy that it is. It is excessive, but it is also controlled, never chaotic. I don't think it's the great film I heard about when it was released, but it is good, and a good three-hour film is no mean feat.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1023 on: January 08, 2015, 09:20:13 PM »
I've been rewatching Twin Peaks. Just got to the Season 2 episode "Lonely Souls". It's a really great episode, and probably my favorite after rewatching it. The scene where BOB murders someone (name not added in case of spoilers) is really well done and chilling to watch. I am not easily unnverved, but that scene freaks me out a bit which immediately earns it my respect. I feel like this was a turning point for the series, in that it actually starts to pick up and become engrossing to watch. Whereas before, the show was interesting and fun enough to watch due to the humor and weird elements, but the story was somewhat lacking and boring in some respects. It's weird that the ratings started to decline at this point because in my opinion, after "Lonely Souls", the show goes nowhere but up.

Offline Blanko

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1024 on: January 08, 2015, 09:34:33 PM »
I've been rewatching Twin Peaks. Just got to the Season 2 episode "Lonely Souls". It's a really great episode, and probably my favorite after rewatching it. The scene where BOB murders someone (name not added in case of spoilers) is really well done and chilling to watch. I am not easily unnverved, but that scene freaks me out a bit which immediately earns it my respect. I feel like this was a turning point for the series, in that it actually starts to pick up and become engrossing to watch. Whereas before, the show was interesting and fun enough to watch due to the humor and weird elements, but the story was somewhat lacking and boring in some respects. It's weird that the ratings started to decline at this point because in my opinion, after "Lonely Souls", the show goes nowhere but up.

That's funny, because that's virtually the opposite of my opinion. Lonely Souls is my least favourite episode because it's where the show jumps the shark and completely ruins the feeling of mystery for the rest of the show.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1025 on: January 08, 2015, 09:38:34 PM »
I've been rewatching Twin Peaks. Just got to the Season 2 episode "Lonely Souls". It's a really great episode, and probably my favorite after rewatching it. The scene where BOB murders someone (name not added in case of spoilers) is really well done and chilling to watch. I am not easily unnverved, but that scene freaks me out a bit which immediately earns it my respect. I feel like this was a turning point for the series, in that it actually starts to pick up and become engrossing to watch. Whereas before, the show was interesting and fun enough to watch due to the humor and weird elements, but the story was somewhat lacking and boring in some respects. It's weird that the ratings started to decline at this point because in my opinion, after "Lonely Souls", the show goes nowhere but up.

That's funny, because that's virtually the opposite of my opinion. Lonely Souls is my least favourite episode because it's where the show jumps the shark and completely ruins the feeling of mystery for the rest of the show.

How does revealing the identity of the killer equal jumping the shark? Is it because the murders are now associated with supernatural entities? That is hinted at throughout the entire series starting from season 1 episode 1. I feel like it adds even more mystery to the show.

Offline Blanko

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1026 on: January 08, 2015, 09:52:52 PM »
I've been rewatching Twin Peaks. Just got to the Season 2 episode "Lonely Souls". It's a really great episode, and probably my favorite after rewatching it. The scene where BOB murders someone (name not added in case of spoilers) is really well done and chilling to watch. I am not easily unnverved, but that scene freaks me out a bit which immediately earns it my respect. I feel like this was a turning point for the series, in that it actually starts to pick up and become engrossing to watch. Whereas before, the show was interesting and fun enough to watch due to the humor and weird elements, but the story was somewhat lacking and boring in some respects. It's weird that the ratings started to decline at this point because in my opinion, after "Lonely Souls", the show goes nowhere but up.

That's funny, because that's virtually the opposite of my opinion. Lonely Souls is my least favourite episode because it's where the show jumps the shark and completely ruins the feeling of mystery for the rest of the show.

How does revealing the identity of the killer equal jumping the shark? Is it because the murders are now associated with supernatural entities? That is hinted at throughout the entire series starting from season 1 episode 1. I feel like it adds even more mystery to the show.

No, it was because it was very premature and done purely in attempt to save the ratings, which didn't work out. The issues with season 2 run much deeper than that though, so it's not entirely to blame, but to me Lonely Souls seemed like the point where they were clearly desperate to get some direction back to the show.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1027 on: January 08, 2015, 10:06:27 PM »
No, it was because it was very premature and done purely in attempt to save the ratings, which didn't work out. The issues with season 2 run much deeper than that though, so it's not entirely to blame, but to me Lonely Souls seemed like the point where they were clearly desperate to get some direction back to the show.

Jumping the shark usually refers to a show that has added ridiculous plot elements or weird twists (in an attempt to save ratings), but ultimately fails the show. Now, I know this sounds almost exactly like what Twin Peaks did, but I don't think that's the case. Revealing Laura Palmer's murderer doesn't really fit this description. There was pressure to reveal the killer from everyone, which is what prompted it. But really, Laura Palmer's murderer had to be revealed at some point. It's not really jumping the shark when the entire series sort of hints that the killer is BOB, so the supernatural/ridiculous elements were already there the whole time.

I agree that some people might find the reveal to be anti-climatic, or that it kills their desire to keep watching the show. But that is not jumping the shark. Jumping the shark would be revealing that Laura Palmer's killer was Agent Cooper or something equally ridiculous.

I like the show enough to look past most of the shortcomings in season 2, like the dragged out plot points and new tacked on story elements. Windom, for one, who I feel like was added just to add more intrigue to the show after the big reveal. Regardless, I enjoy watching the show because of the characters and the setting, and of course the supernatural elements, which still manage to intrigue me.

Regarding direction, it seems like the show never had much direction to begin with. Most people watched to find out who Laura Palmer's murderer was, which was the main driving force of the first season. But outside of that the plot points and general direction of the show was all over the place.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2015, 10:10:20 PM by Vauxhall »

Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1028 on: January 08, 2015, 10:47:09 PM »
As someone who is currently watching the show, I appreciate the lack of spoilers.  Please continue to not spoil things, or if you feel that you absolutely must, use the tags.  Anyway, I enjoy the show, but it's mainly the characters I'm watching it for, not the story.  It's certainly not just so I can find out who the murderer was.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1029 on: January 09, 2015, 01:47:38 AM »
As someone who is currently watching the show, I appreciate the lack of spoilers.  Please continue to not spoil things, or if you feel that you absolutely must, use the tags.  Anyway, I enjoy the show, but it's mainly the characters I'm watching it for, not the story.  It's certainly not just so I can find out who the murderer was.

I will stop writing about it for now to avoid spoiling anything else for you. Let us know when you are finished so that we can have a discussion about it. The ending certainly lends itself well to fan theories.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1030 on: January 09, 2015, 05:54:24 PM »
Season 2 is the same show with the surface stripped away — if anything, Laura Palmer served as a way in to the setting, not the point. The reveal, while it wasn't the best possible outcome, and indeed Lynch and Frost intended for it to never happen, allowed for a greater exploration of the central idea, which is basically parody and deconstruction of the soap opera format. I get why people so strongly dislike the second season, but I think the truth is that they liked the surface elements more than the actual purpose of the show.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1031 on: January 09, 2015, 07:59:26 PM »
it's where the show jumps the shark

I think the real moment the show jumps the shark is when Nadine throws a man about 50ft without breaking a sweat. I just watched the episode where this happens, and I can't get over how fucking stupid it is.

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1032 on: January 10, 2015, 12:46:43 AM »
Watched the South Korean film Snowpiercer last night. A bit heavy handed with the socio-political themes and the CGI was a tad cheap looking, but besides that a very fun film. Chris Evans did well despite not deviating too far from the Cpt. America character, and so did a few of the other lesser known actors. Not sure how they could afford the big actors like John Hurt, Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton, but I definitely appreciated their presence. The costume and set designers did a damn good job.

Definitely recommend it if you're looking for a smart action movie, and violence/light gore doesn't turn you off.

Offline Blanko

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1033 on: January 10, 2015, 01:17:09 AM »
Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000)

It's a three-hour long glimpse into the lives of a middle-class Taiwanese family without a central plot to speak of. That premise alone might scare people off, but this film is filled to the brim with genuine observations of humanity that don't fail to evoke emotion. Yang's cinematography is particularly impressive: this is the sort of film where virtually every shot is aesthetically striking in some way. It's definitely not a film for everyone, but in my books it's a near-masterpiece. 9/10

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1034 on: January 11, 2015, 12:21:04 AM »
The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam)

Essentially operating under the guise of a lesser Brazil, Gilliam's latest takes on the paradox of isolation in a world connected by fibre optics, the atomisation of society, the transcendence of faceless corporations from the geographic to the facets of our personal lives. This is combined with classic Gilliam themes: an oddball protagonist, a dreamer of dark things, subservient to a purposely generic higher power, and longing for escape; the question of whether what is real is what's out there or what's inside oneself; omnipresent Big Brother style surveillance. Indeed, much has been made of the script's apparent fecklessness in rehashing old stuff, and yet none of it really feels old, is that because it's timeless or rather because this film is genuinely new? Am I just happy that one of my favourite directors is still somehow able to obtain funding for projects probably no one else would touch? It's true, no one makes films like Gilliam, no one has the same perspective as Gilliam, and while he may not always make masterpieces he always offers something that no one else could provide. Well, here, I say, he has not remade but rethought the concepts of Brazil for another time and place, not an imagined future but the present, its digital clockwork externalised and pervasive, a vortex of information controlled by unseen hands. In The Zero Theorem Gilliam reaches for the heights of his greatest work, and almost makes it.

Offline Blanko

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1035 on: January 12, 2015, 03:31:25 AM »
Enter the Void (Gaspar Noé, 2010)

It's visually stimulating and technically impressive for sure, but the script is dumb and the story goes absolutely nowhere. Everything that happens seems to only happen for the purpose of showcasing the film's visuals, which would actually be quite fine - but with a running time of a staggering 2 hours and 40 minutes, it's already exhausted its potential halfway through. It may have worked with a more significant story or more varied use of visuals, but as it is, the swoops into light sources and shots of going through walls repeated ad nauseum lose their effectiveness much too quickly to withstand the film's length. It's worth seeing for the sheer uniqueness, amazing camerawork and great audiovisual design, but you may as well stop watching at the 90-minute mark before its strengths start becoming tedious. 5/10
« Last Edit: January 12, 2015, 03:37:34 AM by Blanko »

Saddam Hussein


Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1037 on: January 15, 2015, 04:58:40 AM »
All of their BotW are funny :)

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Offline spoon

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1038 on: January 15, 2015, 07:01:45 AM »
Essentially operating under the guise of a lesser Brazil, Gilliam's latest takes on the paradox of isolation in a world connected by fibre optics, the atomisation of society, the transcendence of faceless corporations from the geographic to the facets of our personal lives.

I just watched Brazil! Great stuff.
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Offline Ghost Spaghetti

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #1039 on: January 15, 2015, 09:01:16 AM »
Essentially operating under the guise of a lesser Brazil, Gilliam's latest takes on the paradox of isolation in a world connected by fibre optics, the atomisation of society, the transcendence of faceless corporations from the geographic to the facets of our personal lives.

I just watched Brazil! Great stuff.

Brazil is one of my favourite films.