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Offline xasop

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #980 on: December 05, 2014, 06:18:03 AM »
What about the 2004 series?

That's up next.

Finally finished the 2004 Battlestar Galactica series (except The Plan, but I'm going to leave that for a while because the ending of the main series was just so awesome). If you're planning to read this post any further, you should expect spoilers.

Galactica is difficult to compare with other sci-fi I'm familiar with, because it's just so... different. I like that its relationship with modern civilisation is kept a secret until the very last episode, because it makes that aspect of the show all the more poignant when it finally arrives. Overall, it was much darker than any other sci-fi I've seen, tending to focus on the negative traits of humanity much moreso than the feel-good Star Trek franchise and friends.

I also really enjoyed the lack of a clear distinction between good and evil. In Trek, you're (nearly) always supposed to think the humans are good and the Klingons/Romulans/Dominion/Kazon are evil, although (to its credit) Trek sometimes does subvert that theme. But Galactica regularly portrays people who are regarded as heroes committing unspeakable acts of cruelty, balanced out with enough acts of kindness to avoid tipping the good/evil balance the other way. By the second season, I had already lost the sense of who was right and who was wrong, and had learned to expect that any of the characters could turn against their own people, given the opportunity.

That's not to say that I like it better than Trek. I find the Star Trek universe makes a very good example of what we should strive for, but the Battlestar Galactica universe is a much better commentary on the darker side of human nature. It manages to deliver a striking commentary on modern society and religion without coming across as cheesy; no easy feat, given the number of cliches bouncing around in sci-fi in this area.

I'm tempted to watch it all again at some point, just because of the density of content. There are a lot of little things that are easy to miss; for example, the music is very intricate and detailed (and even has its own Wikipedia article), which tended to register subconsciously moreso than consciously on my first watch. Another running theme that I found quite striking once I noticed it was the tendency of people in positions of power to have discussions that impact the entire fleet (especially those forced to work overtime refining fuel, for instance) while indulging in heavy drinking in their comfortable offices. That's generally something most sci-fi goes to great lengths to avoid depicting, and I appreciate the fact that Galactica makes a point of showing it on a regular basis, while never quite drawing attention to it.

That was a bigger wall of text than I intended, but I really did like it a lot. It's a show that boldly goes where no sci-fi has gone before, and thus feels much less like a Star Trek rehash than a new breed of sci-fi. 10/10 would watch again.
when you try to mock anyone while also running the flat earth society. Lol

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #981 on: December 05, 2014, 12:20:09 PM »
Stargate next.
The Mastery.

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Offline Snupes

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #982 on: December 05, 2014, 12:44:54 PM »
Parsifal: Are there boobs in it?
There are cigarettes in joints. You don't smoke it by itself.

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #983 on: December 05, 2014, 12:46:12 PM »
There's boobs and vaginas in the first Stargate episode.
The Mastery.

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Offline rooster

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #984 on: December 05, 2014, 01:42:21 PM »
Maybe you guys should consider starting a Stargate topic.

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Offline Snupes

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #985 on: December 05, 2014, 03:59:53 PM »
There's boobs and vaginas in the first Stargate episode.
So it's literally Game of Thrones in space
There are cigarettes in joints. You don't smoke it by itself.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #986 on: December 05, 2014, 06:21:36 PM »
I started watching Farscape a few nights ago because I needed a break from Stargate. It's pretty interesting, but also very campy. I've only watched 2 episodes so far (the pilot, and the one with the bugs). I didn't realize it was made by the Jim Henson company. The puppets are kind of off-putting and uncanny valley at times, which I have mixed feelings about. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I have never been a big fan of puppets of any kind in media. Although, they do make Farscape feel a lot more unique when compared to other televised space operas. I like Claudia Black's character here much better than her character in Stargate SG-1, and that also applies to Ben Browder's character.

It's not a very long series, so I will probably finish it shortly. So far so good.

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Offline xasop

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #987 on: December 06, 2014, 01:23:14 PM »
Just watched Iron Man as part of a deal where Snupes would listen to Atom Heart Mother and Meddle. It was the worst pile of crap I've endured in years. The plot was boring, the gags were predictable, the one-liners weren't funny, the physics was unrealistic and the villains were walking cliches.

That leaves the remaining feature of the film, which is heavy things moving around at high speeds, shooting fire and causing explosions. Maybe I'd have liked it more if I was 14 and got off on seeing people get killed in repetitive and uncreative ways, but that just doesn't do it for me at 25.

0/10, would buy it if the frisbees were all sold out.
when you try to mock anyone while also running the flat earth society. Lol

Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #988 on: December 06, 2014, 01:26:44 PM »
literally balkno

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #989 on: December 06, 2014, 01:27:45 PM »
*snicker*
The Mastery.

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Offline Snupes

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #990 on: December 06, 2014, 02:44:43 PM »
That was actually more positive than I expected
There are cigarettes in joints. You don't smoke it by itself.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #991 on: December 20, 2014, 10:11:56 PM »
Happened to catch an episode of The Blacklist, starring James Spader. Pretty terrible, except for Spader's performance as a criminal mastermind. I could see myself watching it solely because of him, but without him this show would be heaps of fail and try-hard. It's too similar to some other shows on tv already. It's like White Collar but more mature and less pandering to fangirls. The female lead is Megan Boone, and she's pretty hard to watch. Maybe it's her character, or the overabundance of melodrama surrounding her character. I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just a sexist. Yeah, that's probably it.

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #992 on: December 20, 2014, 10:15:28 PM »
Spader is good in everything.
The Mastery.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #993 on: December 20, 2014, 10:15:45 PM »
Spader is good in everything.

Truer words have never been typed.

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Offline Daniel Jackson

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #994 on: December 20, 2014, 10:18:41 PM »
Spader is good in everything.

Mostly everything, but I am still the real Daniel Jackson.

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #995 on: December 20, 2014, 10:27:26 PM »
Fuck off, Vauxy.
The Mastery.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #996 on: December 22, 2014, 08:14:05 PM »
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)

It's been screening for a few weeks across the UK as part of the BFI's Days of Fear and Wonder classic science fiction season (other films shown include Blade Runner (Ridley Scott) and Silent Running (Douglas Trumbull (who was in charge, insofar as anyone is in charge on a Kubrick film besides Kubrick himself, of 2001's incredible special effects))) and I finally had the time to go and see it with a friend of mine. I don't really have much to say about it, it's been praised beyond reason in the 46 years since its release, other than to say that I love the film. I remain unconvinced of the idea that viewing a film in a cinema is superior to seeing it at home, save for the bone rattling sound of a good cinema system (possibly the best way to hear Ligeti), but I'm very glad I went to see it, it loses none of its impact the second time around.
« Last Edit: December 22, 2014, 08:48:45 PM by Crudblud »

Offline Blanko

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #997 on: December 23, 2014, 06:39:20 PM »
I had been meaning to look into Paul Thomas Anderson's films for a long-ass time, and a couple weeks ago I finally got around to watching The Master, with it having been near the top of my to-watch list due to Foxy and Crudblud having had hyped it up for me. And because it was great and I felt dumb for not having seen it earlier, in the past few days I got around to watching every other full-feature film he's made. So I thought I'd write up some short reviews for them, listed in the order in which I saw them.

The Master (2012)

It's a small-scale character study set in the 1950s, focusing on a drifting alcoholic WWII soldier who can't get a grip on his life, and his coming to get involved with a religious cult not too dissimilar to scientology. There's not too much to say about it, but at the same time there's so much to say about it that it's too difficult to articulate. At its simplest it's a neat and well executed character study, and it doesn't need to be anything more than that. I've read a lot of posts that go way more in-depth on thematic analysis, even drawing some startingly accuracte analogies to Freudian psychology. But without having considered any of that shit in my viewing of it, I still thoroughly enjoyed it for the realistic actions of the main characters and how they interact with each other, the magnificent performances from Phoenix and Hoffman, and the gorgeous cinematography, in part thanks to the film having been shot in 70mm, that portrays the period in beautiful vivid colours. 9/10

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Everyone's already praising it, so might as well join the club. It shows a much bigger character ark than the subdued character study in The Master, starting from Daniel Plainview's humble beginning as a miner, through his growth as a charming businessman, and finally as a crazy recluse holed up in his mansion. But for such a huge story to go through in two and a half hours, it really doesn't feel like it's missing anything. Every action feels justifiably motivated within the framework of the story, and without a doubt much of that is achieved by Daniel Day-Lewis' magnificent performance. Paul Dano deserves much praise as well as the evangelical pastor.

Once again, Anderson nails the aesthetic of the period, with all of its oily grittiness and dry plains. It's just an all around very well executed film. 9/10

Magnolia (1999)

So, this film has a lot going on. The narrated intro really sets you up for an expectation for a deeply layered, tangled story involving a large cast of characters, but what I ultimately felt at the end of it was just that there were six, give or take, stories that were at best tangentially connected. It feels more like most of the work on trying to make this network of stories work was done in editing, because this film has a habit of not following any particular story for a lengthy period of time. On several occasions the film falls into a groove of having rapid shots of the different stories cycled through with the same music playing consistently throughout the sequence. Usually this sort of thing is used at the climax of the story and for only a brief moment, but here they go on for 20-30 minutes, and just to move the stories forward. It's too exhausting to watch, and to me it seems to only serve the purpose of creating an illusion of interconnectivity, but ultimately I found it to be detrimental more than anything else. This all sounds pretty negative, but the individual stories themselves are all quite great and the characters are well fleshed out, so it does have that going for it.

There's a magnificent idea hidden in this film, and with better execution it could have been a magnificent film, but it missed its mark by too much. It does feel like the sort of film that improves on repeat viewings, so maybe it's too early for me to give cohesive view on it. 7/10

Boogie Nights (1997)

It's a really fun film, until it stops being quite so fun. Anderson really proves himself as a master of the craft with his use of long shots and soundtrack to establish a mood with perfection. The beginning scene in the night club with its establishment of characters, the party at Jack's house where we're familiarised with the rest of the cast, and the murder-suicide scene at the New Year's party all demonstrate excellent uses of long shots to establish the mood, vibe and atmosphere of the 70s, without ever sacrificing on plot progression. For the first half of the film it feels like it never misses a beat.

Then it turns to the 80s, which mainly focuses on the downfall of the cast of characters. This is where the film starts to feel like it's no longer playing to its strength. Perhaps it was inevitable for the sake of the plot, but the vibe that drove the first half of the film goes largely missing, replaced by the depictions of the characters hitting rock bottom. It's all still very well made, but a part of me feels like it wasn't necessary for the film to take that route. 9/10

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

It's an Adam Sandler film that wasn't made by Adam Sandler. It's lightly comedic, lightly romantic, and it features Adam Sandler. There's a strange, off-putting atmosphere to it, with its clinical aesthetics punctuated by bright spotlights and lens flares, as well as the ”experimental” sounding soundtrack, that makes everything feel like it's in a dream-like state.

Despite being characterized as a romantic film (I guess?), I found it difficult to see it as that. I was so lightly invested in the romantic interest character that it felt more like a way to motivate Sandler's character's actions than serve the purpose for an actual romantic plot. Hoffman makes an appearance as the ”antagonist” of the film, and his performance is my favourite thing in it, so it's a shame we don't see more of him. Other than that, I didn't really think much of this film. It's just things happening, and me not being all that invested in the characters. 6/10

Hard Eight (1996)

Not much to say about this one. It feels like exactly what it is, a debut feature film from a young filmmaker. There's some high notes in here, but most of them happen in the establishment of the story. The story itself, concerning a hostage situation, is poorly played out and feels unnecessary. The film works at its best when it's about gambling, so it really should have just stuck to being about gambling. Given how amateurish this film feels, it's really quite remarkable how Boogie Nights, which was released only a year later, feels like it's made by an extremely talented and experienced filmmaker. 5/10

Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #998 on: December 25, 2014, 01:48:48 AM »
I just got back from watching the last Hobbit movie.  It's about as bad as you've heard, and the reasons why should be obvious.  What's left of the story is basically split into two subplots; one in which Thorin turns paranoid and possessive due to something they call "dragon fever," and the other being the big battle referenced in the title.  The first one is stupid, boring, and doesn't have a very good payoff.  The second one is even more stupid, but at least it looks cool, and fortunately that's where the bulk of the film is spent.  As far as garish, over-the-top, spectacular, CGI-fest battle scenes go, this movie does them very well.  If you can watch a movie and be satisfied with seeing that and little else, it's safe to say you'll like this one.

Considering how much filler and extraneous material - for lack of a better word, fanfiction - that they added, it's interesting that I really only actively disliked a couple of them.  One of them was the character Alfred, whom you might remember as being the Master's toady in the last movie.  He's basically a ripoff of Wormtongue from LotR, and he keeps constantly showing up just to remind everyone what a slimy douchebag he is.  There's literally no point to his frequent appearances.  He's not funny, he's not a foil to anyone, he's just...there.  The movie doesn't even show him getting killed or anything.  My other main issue is the same one that I had with the last film, all the foreshadowing of LotR.  The story of LotR has already been told.  It took three very long movies to do it, but now it's complete.  It does not need to be told some more.  And yet this movie continues to flash Sauron's fiery eye, play ominous music whenever the camera is on the Ring, and have characters drop vague hints about the dark power that is rising or whatever.  For fuck's sake, Jackson, the film is called The Hobbit.  The story you're telling should be the story of The Hobbit.  Why can't you fuck off with the LotR shit already?

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #999 on: December 26, 2014, 02:36:46 AM »
Just watched Big.

Still a fantastic movie after all these years. Really great.