Which movie did you watch today and how would you rate it?

[DrZoidberg]

Who the fuck is Arthur Fogel? 1/10

Loads of people had recommended this. It's famous. High rating on imdb. Inexplicable

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3479180/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_2

It's from start to finish and unbridled gushfest.

I think that's a fair statement to make about a lot of recent music documentaries.


Around the same time I watched this film, I also saw "20 Feet From Stardom" and "Muscle Shoals."

The former would have you believe that it was the backup singers who were responsible for all the hit records coming out of Motown, and the latter would have you believe that the session guys in Alabama were more important than the Allman Brothers or the Rolling Stones or Aretha Franklin.


Of course the subject of a documentary is going to be outsized in the final product. They've often got a say in how it turns out. I watched "The History of The Eagles" not long ago, and it is basically "the story of how Don Henley and Glenn Frey are the band, and everyone else was an employee."


So yeah, the Fogel movie is a gush-fest, but not all that different from other music docs. The one thing I will fault it for is that it glossed over the fact that Fogel is personally responsible for the birth of Live Nation, which is basically the Ticketmaster/Clear Channel/Wal Mart of the concert biz.

Concert promoters are (generally) sleazy individuals who are only in it for the money. Fogel just took this and made it bigger.

I used to work as a promotor for ten years. So I'm aware of this world. Mind you, I was a rave party promotor. But this was a small world and I've been backstage on pretty much every major concert in Stockholm during the 90-ies. This is a world I know. It's interesting.

I can tell you why concert promoters come across as sleazy. Most of them fail to do basic arithmetic. Major concerts typically are done with a margin of about 20%. That's insane for a business this volatile. You need a margin of about 50% if you have any plans on surviving. It's the realistic goal to have. But new guys keep popping up who are desperate to get a foot in the door. So they take insane amounts of risks. Way too late they realise that they basically need to sell out completely to break even. That's what a 20% margin means in reality. So this is when the cocaine habit enters. Or alcoholism. While you're a big shot rubbing shoulders with the stars all drugs are free. So they're under tremendous stress one tiny step away from bankruptcy. Often a Mafia is involved somehow. And if they make it pay off once they often start thinking that they're geniuses somehow. In reality it's just down to the luck of the draw. Cocaine helps with this delusion. They start assuming that huge risks are worth it. Eventually they fail, they've burned all their bridges and are ejected, broke, out of the scene. This is a pattern so common it's not even funny.

 

[rousseau]

In the past few weeks I watched 'Home Alone' and 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'.

The most interesting thing about them is that I'm so used to going back and watching movies and shows from my child-hood and them being complete garbage. These two films, however, seem to have stood the test of time. Not only did I still enjoy them as an adult, I'm pretty confident that either of them could have come out this year and they'd still be successful.

Overall, very enjoyable to revisit.

 

[blastula]

The Mockingjay Part 1 (Hunger Games 3)
8/10

Grim and disturbing. Tonally different from the other 2 movies.

You move the movie Gladiator from the pomp and spectacle of the Coliseum into the gritty world of those rebelling against it.

That's what this movie is.

This movie veers more toward the adult side of the conflict. Some movie critics lament that Katniss is more passive in this movie, but they seem to forget that Katniss is only 17 years old and is still suffering from PTSD.

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She has been thrust from a world where she is forced to plan and take action, into a new world where adults are actually doing the fighting instead of kids.

So of course she's going to appear more passive by comparison. The movie is uncomfortable because even though Katniss is the Mockingjay by her own actions, you see

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that she is being used again. Earlier by the Capital and now by the Rebels as propaganda fodder and Katniss is forced to cooperate again, to defend and save her friends' lives. Even her little sister is starting to learn how to work the system.

The movie earlier intersperses Katniss' actions and words with events in the districts but the latter half of the movie drops this as events focus

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more on the events in District 13.

There is never any real explanation as to why

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District 13 survived. They pass off a weak explanation as "we were military and this is how we survive", but the Capital, as we've seen from earlier movies, is well funded and not afraid to send in men with guns. So why would they only attack from the air and never follow up with ground troops to root them out? I think there was a hint of fear about nukes, so possibly that's why the Capital doesn't push? Not sure.

Some things don't make sense, like why would a noob like Gale

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would be sent in on an obviously special forces type mission when his only experience is firing a bow. Yes, he volunteered, but he can be turned down.

I do like that the whole movie has you questioning who is still playing games with one another. Whether it's on a personal level as Katniss looks at

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Peeta in the propaganda movies from the Capital she marvels that "He's still playing the game"...or President Coin with President Snow or Plutarch with Snow.

You wonder who can really be trusted.

I do like that Katniss, with help from

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Finnick finally realize that she did love Peeta after all. All her focus is on him and she is agonized by what is being done to him and continues to champion him, even against the Rebels. This is upsetting to Gale whose jealously finally emerges - not to his credit.

Dark and troubling with some very adult and gruesome scenes, and only some occasions for levity, this is a grownups movie.

Recommend.

Good summary. I've read this book recently and you gleaned from the film what was more thoroughly laid out in the book. Just a couple of explications.

There is never any real explanation as to why

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District 13 survived. They pass off a weak explanation as "we were military and this is how we survive", but the Capital, as we've seen from earlier movies, is well funded and not afraid to send in men with guns. So why would they only attack from the air and never follow up with ground troops to root them out? I think there was a hint of fear about nukes, so possibly that's why the Capital doesn't push? Not sure.

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In the book, it said that District 13 was the nuclear weapons base of Panem and the Capitol didn't want to lose the assets there which they would have to take the district. This ties into a plot point that comes to bear in the Part 2 section of the book. I think in the movie it was conveyed more as a "mutually assured destruction" reason.

Some things don't make sense, like why would a noob like Gale

Show

would be sent in on an obviously special forces type mission when his only experience is firing a bow. Yes, he volunteered, but he can be turned down.

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In the book, he supposedly is a natural military genius from his hunting experience. He becomes Beetee's right hand man in devising weapons systems. Not saying I found it plausible, because I didn't. But it's in line with how the society places these teenage tributes on a pedestal, or how teenage Katniss is so respected beyond her years.

You may have noted that when they arrived at the hospital in the war zone, he asks the commander there why would they put all their wounded in one place. That the Capitol then targeted that hospital is supposed to show how prescient Gale is about military tactics.

Dark and troubling with some very adult and gruesome scenes, and only some occasions for levity, this is a grownups movie.

The next part is even darker, especially at one point shocking me that a YA book would explore such themes. It also gets back into more of the gladiator style battle action of the earlier films, having even more of a video game feel to it.

 

[credoconsolans]

Good summary. I've read this book recently and you gleaned from the film what was more thoroughly laid out in the book. Just a couple of explications.

There is never any real explanation as to why

Show

District 13 survived. They pass off a weak explanation as "we were military and this is how we survive", but the Capital, as we've seen from earlier movies, is well funded and not afraid to send in men with guns. So why would they only attack from the air and never follow up with ground troops to root them out? I think there was a hint of fear about nukes, so possibly that's why the Capital doesn't push? Not sure.

Show

In the book, it said that District 13 was the nuclear weapons base of Panem and the Capitol didn't want to lose the assets there which they would have to take the district. This ties into a plot point that comes to bear in the Part 2 section of the book. I think in the movie it was conveyed more as a "mutually assured destruction" reason.

Some things don't make sense, like why would a noob like Gale

Show

would be sent in on an obviously special forces type mission when his only experience is firing a bow. Yes, he volunteered, but he can be turned down.

Show

In the book, he supposedly is a natural military genius from his hunting experience. He becomes Beetee's right hand man in devising weapons systems. Not saying I found it plausible, because I didn't. But it's in line with how the society places these teenage tributes on a pedestal, or how teenage Katniss is so respected beyond her years.

You may have noted that when they arrived at the hospital in the war zone, he asks the commander there why would they put all their wounded in one place. That the Capitol then targeted that hospital is supposed to show how prescient Gale is about military tactics.

Dark and troubling with some very adult and gruesome scenes, and only some occasions for levity, this is a grownups movie.

The next part is even darker, especially at one point shocking me that a YA book would explore such themes. It also gets back into more of the gladiator style battle action of the earlier films, having even more of a video game feel to it.

Thanks. I normally watch the movie, then read the book, but this Mockingjay part 1 and 2 has me putting off reading the last book for another year so I don't get spoiled for part 2.

 

[Ford]

I used to work as a promotor for ten years. So I'm aware of this world. Mind you, I was a rave party promotor. But this was a small world and I've been backstage on pretty much every major concert in Stockholm during the 90-ies. This is a world I know. It's interesting.

I've known a few promoters in my day, having worked in radio for a very long time now. Spent more time backstage at concerts than I actually spent in the seat watching the shows. Even been onstage a few times. Also know a lot of people on the record industry side of things. Yeah, interesting is an understatement!

I remember back in the 90s a local promoter sued our station, program director, and just about everyone else involved over a show we put on that he felt unfairly competed with a similar show he was promoting on the same weekend. Sued over allegations that we "stole" the acts he wanted to book, claimed unfair business practices, and even claimed the name of our show was his idea. What he was really upset with was the fact that we went around him.

I think at least a little of this may have had something to do with Fogel breaking the choke hold that local promoters had on the concert biz. We'd realized (correctly, I think) that we had the resources necessary to put on a show without the local promoter being involved. We had the relationship with the record company so we could book the acts. We had a relationship with the venue. We had a 100,000 watt radio station to help sell the show to the public. In fact I'm fairly certain I recall the conversation where we asked "why do we need this guy (promoter) again?"

 

[Underseer]

Knights of Badassdom 7/10

It's low budget, it's cheesy, it's hokey, and very silly, all of which is entirely appropriate for a movie about LARP enthusiasts. As the trailer implies, it's mostly a comedy with a few sprinkles of horror thrown in. It lovingly mocks cheesy horror movies from the 1980s as much as the LARP community.

 

[repoman]

I just saw The Tale of Princess Kaguya with subtitles. The dub seems only soso, so I didn't watch that way.

I would rate it about a 9. Some parts were very powerful and evocative. The style was awesome and the purposeful sketchiness of the faces that occasionally came into sharper detail was different but it worked.

If you know nothing about the story of Princess Kaguya don't read up on it. If you Ghibli or Takahata don't even read a description.

This is on par with Only Yesterday, Gauche the Cellist and Grave of the Fireflies, IMO. The art is most similar to Gauche in someways.

It has already won best animated feature in L.A. And Boston but was left out of the Golden Globes. It would be close to a disgrace if not nominated for an Oscar.

 

[angelo]

The delicious Jennifer Lopez in The Back Up Plan Plot goes something like this: A woman meets the man of her dreams after she conceives twins through artificial insemination. Even Lopez earthy charms can't save this dire bomb!
2/10

 

[bilby]

Enjoyed a science fiction film based in an alternate reality where the laws of thermodynamics do not apply, and a young woman learns to control destructive flows of heat between bodies with massive specific heat capacity using her bare hands, thereby rescuing her nation from a dystopian nightmare of sub-zero temperature and averting the death of her sister.

'Frozen' (Disney) - 8/10

 

[bradw]

Pitfall (1962)

Mysterious murders and ghosts and union problems.

From the director of the superior Face of Another.

Interesting but unfulfilling movie.

7.5/10

 

[credoconsolans]

Saw Prometheus on TV
4/10

Just as dumb as I'd heard.

All the points for presentation, effects, eerieness and Fassbender.

The rest is a hot mess of stupid people doing stupid things that even laymen know is incomprehensible and they're supposed to be scientists.

Consider it a very slick, very cool looking, B-movie along the lines of an Ed Wood sci-fi monster movie.

 

[Daioh]

The Jungle Book
7/10
Ah the nostalgia
I am of course talking about the Disney animated version
Overall it does get a little corny, there are some pacing issues and I would really have loved more of the villain
But with a whole pile of very catchy songs, spot on voice acting, absolutely beautiful animation and loveable characters you find it easy to ignore the flaws
This movie is still a very good example of classic Disney animation

The Grand Budapest Hotel
4/10
Right off the bat I will say that the acting in this movie was very good
And it had some good funny moments
But after a while the kinda quirky became kinda "samey" and it slowly began to fall flat
Overall I don't think this is one I will be going back to

 

[bradw]

The Sessions (2012)

Based on the true story of a man with polio who wanted to lose his virginity. So he hired a sex surrogate.

I assumed it was going to be cute, due to the trailers that ran when the movie was out in 2012.

Only William H Macy's performance as a priest entered the cuteness zone. The movie skimmed along the edges of superficiality and conventionality, but I found it both touching and entertaining.

7/10

 

[angelo]

Watched Meteor again after many years. Sean Connory is brilliant in this disaster movie. Also stars Martin Landau who in my opinion is much underrated. A 5 mile wide asteroid is heading for earth and the character played by Connory is called out of retirement to help save the day. 6/10

 

[Jayjay]

From Paris with Love

An unremarkable buddy-cop action movie with John Travolta and some other guy. It's a good time waster with reasonably well choreographed action scenes if you remember not to set your expectations too high.

5/10

 

[Lucia]

Man of Thai Chi

A story is just hardly visible. Actors are acceptable. Fighting Fighting and at the end... more fighting. But the fighting scenes are good. A movie-to-go!

Nothing for a "romantic" Evening!

5/10

 

[credoconsolans]

From Paris with Love

An unremarkable buddy-cop action movie with John Travolta and some other guy. It's a good time waster with reasonably well choreographed action scenes if you remember not to set your expectations too high.

5/10

Is that the one with Jonathan Rhys Meyers?

He's a hottie.

 

[Draconis]

Hobbit 3 - Battle of 5 Armies

Apart from about 5 minutes of decent footage concerning the banishment of Sauron to Mordor, nothing else really worth going to see. You know, lots of CGI, padding and generally just pointless action and story, including that utterly ridiculous subplot featuring a certain female elf. For those wishing to see the thing through only.

4.5/10 (being generous)

 

[Jayjay]

Please don't spoil it. I am very excited to find out if that guy who's father or whoever failed to kill the dragon years ago, and who has exactly one giant arrow hidden away that can kill said dragon, will kill the dragon when it attacks the town.

 

[MarkW]

Adventures of Captain Marvel

Considered strictly in comparison to other movie serials: 10/10
Considered more generally: no more than 6/10

This 1941 chapter play from Republic Pictures was the first attempt to film a comic-book superhero in live-action. Movie serials are definitely an acquired taste--it helps to be in the mood for a trip down Nostalgia Lane when you watch one, and you definitely have to be willing to suspend your disbelief while doing so. What this one is noted for are the various special effects, which were pretty incredible by 1941 standards (especially for a Poverty Row outfit like Republic). Using a combination of takeoffs and landings performed by acrobatic stuntman David Sharpe, shots of a dummy suspended on very fine wires that didn't show on film, and a few shots of actor Tom Tyler's head and shoulders filmed in front of a matte painting or back-projection, the Republic team created a plausible illusion of Captain Marvel actually flying.