Movie/TV recommendations

[Psych]

This discussion reminds me of something Tolkien once said when he was asked why he had never written a story about some mountain range at the edge of Middle Earth's map. He said that he had deliberately neglected this area so that these mountains would retain a sense of mystery for the readers.

When it comes to the details of a fictional universe it seems important that there are elements that remain unexplained, for the story to keep interesting.

[ThunderPeel2001]

When it comes to the details of a fictional universe it seems important that there are elements that remain unexplained, for the story to keep interesting.

Someone tell that to George Lucas -- oh wait, too late.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Holy fuck, why did you make yourself suffer through reading the bios of the entire Mos Eisley cantina? That's crazy!

I'm just a crazy kinda guy! (Actually it was only a paragraph on each of the characters summarizing their "Extended Universe" novels... I didn't read them all, but just learning of the existence of these stories (the idea that someone had given them all names and backstories and reasons to be in the Cantina that day) was enough to destroy all the mystique.)

[Horticulture Tycoon]

I have read all of those stories, unfortunately. When I was a kid I was super into Star Wars, and reading every Expanded Universe novel (not Extended Universe btw) just seemed like part of the deal. The sad thing is, now at age 30, I still remember almost all of it. It's the kind of information that will never go away.

For example, did you know that Ponda Baba (the thing that picks a fight with Luke in the Cantina and gets his arm sliced off) and Dr. Everzan (the pig-nosed "He doesn't like you" guy) later exchanged bodies in a Dr. Frankenstein-like experiment? It's true.

You really want a glimpse into the horrors of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? Behold...

[Wrestlevania]

I'm just a crazy kinda guy! (Actually it was only a paragraph on each of the characters summarizing their "Extended Universe" novels... I didn't read them all, but just learning of the existence of these stories (the idea that someone had given them all names and backstories and reasons to be in the Cantina that day) was enough to destroy all the mystique.)

[remo-nerd-voice]A mere paragraph on each?! Why there are whole short stories on pretty much every character for TRUE fans![/remo-nerd-voice]

PS: And the bounty hunters, too.

PPS: I've read them all.

PPPS: Most of them are complete ass, but a couple are enjoyable and actually make some semblance of sense.

[Wrestlevania]

I forgot to mention that I watched The Hurt Locker last night by the way (which is probably an early indication of what I thought of it).

While I can appreciate why critics might be praising it, I don't actually think it's strong enough a story - or screenplay - to warrant the towering accolades seemingly heaped upon it. To frame this: were it an episode in something like Generation Kill (which I thought superb), it would've been one of the stand-out parts of that series without question. But in isolation, it just wasn't strong enough in my opinion.

The central character is certainly intriguing, but not enough to draw the film along for its 2hr+ duration smoothly. There's also little development (or interest) in the two immediate supporting characters, who make up the other two thirds of the main character's three-man squad, which also didn't really help in keeping me interested.

There's some very shallow, pseudo-psychological analysis of the younger of the two team-mates. But, rather alarmingly I thought, it's that beyond-ironic "what's the point--we're all doomed!" clichéd guff you've seen far too often for decades already. That's not to belittle the trauma of war (I'm not intending to sound arrogant or dismissive here), but this instance is such a bland, two-dimensional pastiche as to offer nothing new at all.

I also found the ending to be a real eye-roller as well. It kind of pats you on the head and says, "yes, we really are doing exactly the obvious." And, for me, it undermined what is otherwise a good film.

Edit: Sorry if my cocking up the spoiler tag on initial post ruined any details for anyone.

[n0wak]

PPS: I've read them all.

PPPS: Most of them are complete ass, but a couple are enjoyable and actually make some semblance of sense.

[Scrobbs]

Watched Assassination of a High School President last night. It was blimmin' good. Highly recommended - and IMDB gave it an 8, which is pretty high for that site.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Watched Assassination of a High School President last night. It was blimmin' good. Highly recommended - and IMDB gave it an 8, which is pretty high for that site.

Aye, but you only tend to see scores that high when they've only got a few votes (like that one). I'll keep an eye out for it, though.

[BigJKO]

Watched Assassination of a High School President last night. It was blimmin' good. Highly recommended - and IMDB gave it an 8, which is pretty high for that site.

Just watched it tonight, and it is indeed great. Reece Thompson is awesome. In fact, most of the cast nails it. I've heard it resembles a film called Brick, which I now have to see.

Anyways, this film needs more word-of-mouth as I hadn't heard of it until Scrobbs mentioned it.

[Horticulture Tycoon]

Yes, you must see Brick. Brick is amazing.

And now I must see Assassination of a High School President, apparently.

[n0wak]

Yes, you must see Brick. Brick is amazing.

It certainly has its charms, but the translation of detective/police/crook politics to high school archetypes can be pretty goofy at times and the plot and writing can be a little too self-congratulatory. Still, it's well done, nicely shot, and a nice little attempt at neo-noir. Wish there were more of those.

[miffy495]

Yeah, my comment before seeing what you guys wrote was going to be "Brick is good, just a little up its own ass is all."

[n0wak]

Yeah, my comment before seeing what you guys wrote was going to be "Brick is good, just a little up its own ass is all."

On the plus side

[Horticulture Tycoon]

Bah. Bah, I say! The incongruity between the hard-boiled detective tropes and the high school setting is the whole appeal of Brick. You may find it goofy, but the fact that those two worlds don't quite fit together is what makes it that more enjoyable.

[Garple]

I thought the moment when the end-credit song kicked in was really cool in Brick (I won't say what song it was, because I think that should be a surprise). It's a super cheesy film overall but you can really enjoy it if you put yourself in the right frame of mind. Definitely a good rental.

[JonCole]

Well, that's really weird. Haven't checked back on this topic in a couple weeks and I was just checking up on it to recommend Brick and The Brothers Bloom. It's like you guys are wizards or something.

Brick is definitely in my top 10 and The Brothers Bloom might land itself on that list, too. I got TBB from Netflix last Friday and I still haven't returned it, after watching it once regularly and once again with the director's commentary. I'm probably going to listen to it again with the other commentary that Rian Johnson created in MP3 form that deals with some of the more technical aspects of the film.

I would say that the most compelling things Johnson does are the really well-written dialogue, the magnificent attention to detail in his set design, and his dynamic use of the camera. I dunno, I just feel like he's a breath of fresh air to film making, but maybe I'm just a fanboy.

[Wrestlevania]

I didn't enjoy Brick much myself. Too much of a culture and reference gap for me to understand the deeper meanings of some characters exchanges.

Having said that, it's beautifully shot and excellently cast. It's a great film I just couldn't properly appreciate.

By contrast, I watched Assassination of a High School President last night and thought it excellent. There are definite similarities to Brick, but it's more open and "Pop-y" in its characters and language, so I didn't struggle with it.

Willis' character was a pastiche, but a fun - if rather flat - pastiche, definitely. Thumbs up!

[JonCole]

I didn't enjoy Brick much myself. Too much of a culture and reference gap for me to understand the deeper meanings of some characters exchanges.

Having said that, it's beautifully shot and excellently cast. It's a great film I just couldn't properly appreciate.

Ah, totally. For better or worse, Rian Johnson loves intricate dialogue. I tend to like it, but I know a lot of people who can't connect with it for reasons you mention or just because they don't like how much of it there is.

[Scrobbs]

The A-Team http://www.wwtdd.com/2009/10/first-look-at-the-new-a-team/

...with Wikus as Murdoch \o/. Could be good.

[Horticulture Tycoon]

Ah, totally. For better or worse, Rian Johnson loves intricate dialogue. I tend to like it, but I know a lot of people who can't connect with it for reasons you mention or just because they don't like how much of it there is.

It's possible I'm just used to that style of dialogue because of my love of old detective movies like The Big Sleep. If you think Brick's dialogue is unnecessarily complex (or its plot, for that matter), The Big Sleep is like Brick times twenty.

[Wrestlevania]

The A-Team http://www.wwtdd.com/2009/10/first-look-at-the-new-a-team/

...with Wikus as Murdoch \o/. Could be good.

Colour me intrigued.

Listening to the two latest instalments of The Hollywood Saloon's Saloon Shots this morning, on my way in to work, and was so depressed by some of the remakes/reboots on the way: RoboCop, The Fly, Nightmare on Elm Street, Beverly Hills Cop...

...just, why?! At least The A-Team makes sense, and The Fly might kick arse if Cronenberg does indeed take to remaking his remake(?!). But RoboCop and Nightmare on Elm Street already? They're still superb films in their own right, we don't need them remade!

Or, given how bland (or just plain pointless) recent remakes - like Friday the 13th and Psycho - have been, is there a rather grim pattern emerging? Are film studios / property owners simply looking to culturally reskin past successes every couple of decades, without any interest in making an interesting/worthwhile film?

It would certainly seem that way...

[ThunderPeel2001]

It's absurd, isn't it? The number of reboots going on right now is unprecedented.

They actually did a whole show just the current spate of rebooting:

http://www.hollywoodsaloon.com/podcastEP38.html

(Not their greatest show, if memory serves, but I'm glad someone is pointing it out to people!)

[Psych]

Instinctively I understand this whole aversion to remakes, but when I think about it, I can't come up with a good reason why quality movies shouldn't be reinterpreted by later productions of the same work. Can we really say that in all the time that's passed since 1987 that the context for Robocop hasn't changed? So why not have a new one that reflects the social and political landscape of today?

If there's a problem here I don't think it's that movies that don't need to be remade (as if any movie needed that), but that producers tend to squander the opportunities they have to do so, by creating cheap cash ins with no artistic vision. Which is a problem in no way exclusive to remakes.

[MrHoatzin]

I think Paul Verhoeven is a madman who makes impressively potent but flawed propaganda for our fascist overlords (many different flavors thereof).

I think Darren Aronofsky is a artsy-fartsy pansy who makes interesting but flawed essays on bourgeois psychoses (many different flavors thereof).

I am curious about the latter's treatment of the former's stuff, regardless of how icky remakes and reboots may be.