The Movies thread
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
I just finished watching Deadpool. So very, very good. Action, drama, humour, romance, sci-fi all in one.
I'm not a fan of the X-men or Marvel franchises (with the exception of Thor - but that's because of my interest in Norse mythology), but Deadpool is almost an anti-hero in his behaviour and the script is pretty good.
Yes, I'd recommend. It's not a family movie - too much sex and cursing for that - but a pretty good way to spend a Saturday evening.
I'm not a fan of the X-men or Marvel franchises (with the exception of Thor - but that's because of my interest in Norse mythology), but Deadpool is almost an anti-hero in his behaviour and the script is pretty good.
Yes, I'd recommend. It's not a family movie - too much sex and cursing for that - but a pretty good way to spend a Saturday evening.
Bee, I'm not surprised that the Marvel-based movies do nothing for you. For me, it is a matter of expectations. Perhaps that is why so far, I have preferred the Marvel movies over the DC movies. And it derives from something that perhaps you would understand more intimately than some others. I'll digress just a moment before getting to the point. A series of movies that I greatly enjoyed was the Harry Potter series. They were bright and lots of fun and dark and sometimes tense - all of that at the same time. But I found them quite engaging. I also have enjoyed the Star Wars series and, to a lesser degree, the Star Trek series.
Now the point: The reason for me liking what I like but caring less for the other movies is the scripting. If you don't have a good STORY, how can you buy into the movie? If the characters are not written in an engaging style, how can you care for what happens to them?
I have had this discussion in life before I retired. Marvel has a whole library comic books (serialized graphic novels?) of socially aware plot lines that address racism (through the X-Men). They have touched more than once on feminism through some of the villains and their female heroines such as Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four and Jean Gray of the X-Men. Their characters have fleshed-out personalities. A literal TON of Marvel's comic books form a huge pool of source material that is great for an action movie. Dialog and action are already story-boarded and waiting to be brought to the big screen. And once Marvel had enough success to start making money, they attracted the attention of "The Mouse." Now look at how much money they are making, which in the entertainment industry is a reasonably good indicator of success. I guess you could call it the movie equivalent of a "best selling" book. Also, look at how many people they employ, which you can find by sitting through some of the "credits" trailers. The economic engine that is the comic-book-to-movie industry is thriving by any standard you could imagine.
Admittedly we are talking one specific genre, but it IS within the movie industry that is within the topic of this thread. And therefore I would not be surprised to find that some of Marvel's offerings will appear as someone's favorite recent flick.
Now the point: The reason for me liking what I like but caring less for the other movies is the scripting. If you don't have a good STORY, how can you buy into the movie? If the characters are not written in an engaging style, how can you care for what happens to them?
I have had this discussion in life before I retired. Marvel has a whole library comic books (serialized graphic novels?) of socially aware plot lines that address racism (through the X-Men). They have touched more than once on feminism through some of the villains and their female heroines such as Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four and Jean Gray of the X-Men. Their characters have fleshed-out personalities. A literal TON of Marvel's comic books form a huge pool of source material that is great for an action movie. Dialog and action are already story-boarded and waiting to be brought to the big screen. And once Marvel had enough success to start making money, they attracted the attention of "The Mouse." Now look at how much money they are making, which in the entertainment industry is a reasonably good indicator of success. I guess you could call it the movie equivalent of a "best selling" book. Also, look at how many people they employ, which you can find by sitting through some of the "credits" trailers. The economic engine that is the comic-book-to-movie industry is thriving by any standard you could imagine.
Admittedly we are talking one specific genre, but it IS within the movie industry that is within the topic of this thread. And therefore I would not be surprised to find that some of Marvel's offerings will appear as someone's favorite recent flick.
I notice Moneyball was mentioned in another thread. I loved that movie! I read the book too. The concept of just using stats to improve outcomes really appealed to me. It seemed like low hanging fruit and a real competitive advantage. It seems to have filtered into all sorts of other sports now, including football (soccer). My only surprise is that it took so long. But then like all innovations, they seem obvious in hindsight.
The whole point of the movie was that old ways of thinking CAN become outmoded because of new learning. Billy Beane did what he did because he had no choices left. And those scenes where he is explaining the new reality to his scouts was just a beautiful clash of different generations. The old ways of thinking HAD to give way to some more modern influences. Now if we could only convince people to think in more modern terms when considering older religions...
Progress is progress!
There are many different styles of play in soccer. The most popular used to be what they called 4-4-2, where you had 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. But nowadays, there are all sorts of formation. For example, Barcelona play tiki taka style football, where there are lots of short passes and lots of possession. I wonder what the future Gods will come up with regarding styles of play, unless they are all played out.
There are many different styles of play in soccer. The most popular used to be what they called 4-4-2, where you had 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. But nowadays, there are all sorts of formation. For example, Barcelona play tiki taka style football, where there are lots of short passes and lots of possession. I wonder what the future Gods will come up with regarding styles of play, unless they are all played out.
There is much debate in Administrator forums about whether or not to keep threads on topic, or to let them flow freely. I tend to favour the latter with minimal intervention. Some others favour moderator intervention if they stray. But at any time, anyone can switch the direction back on topic or off topic. I don't mind!
Regarding movies, I am contemplating which one to gulp next. When you have seen so many, it gets harder to find one that you want to watch.
Regarding movies, I am contemplating which one to gulp next. When you have seen so many, it gets harder to find one that you want to watch.
Regarding current movies, one of them will NOT get my box office dollars. I am seeing advertising for A Star is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga (Stephani Germanotta). I like both actors, but that movie has been already re-done three times and this will make number four. The others were with Gloria Gaynor, Judy Garland, and Barbra Striesand. Wonderful actresses all - but how many times will that tired old tire get retreaded? I'll just wait for the movie to hit cable. I wish them well and I hope that Lady Gaga's acting supports the movie because it would be another feather in her cap regarding entertainment versatility. But in this case, I've seen it before.
Haven't seen Deadpool 2 yet. However, in movie tradition, sequels are very rarely as good as the first installment. On the other hand, if you like iconic images AND a change of genre, Aliens (2) was better than Alien by quite a bit. Including Sigourney Weaver's infamous "Get away from her, you bitch" line as she faces down the mother alien in a power suit.
Last edited:
Saw the movie Runaway Jury once. Some of the sites were familiar. Others were shot from angles that didn't mean anything to me because they showed interiors of places I hadn't visited. For all I know, some of those could have been Hollywood sets.
For what it is worth, there is a TV series called NCIS New Orleans which my wife and I will watch sometimes. She likes Scott Bakula as an actor and she also likes the parent series NCIS because she also has the "hots" for Mark Harmon. I find their scripts often sufficiently well-crafted to give at least some decent (and consistent) character development and not THAT many "Duh" moments.
The New Orleans scenes are VERY recognizable and I have been to many of the places where they have shot their outdoor scenes. They also show scenes shot in local swamps and lots of aerial shots of bridges and highways in the area. I could find quite a few of them if asked to do so. Only a few places are clearly NOT shot on location, but that's OK because I know they have a production studio across Lake Ponchartrain (what we call "North Shore") where they shoot their interiors. And who cares where the post-production stuff is handled? (To add graphics, titles, etc.)
For what it is worth, there is a TV series called NCIS New Orleans which my wife and I will watch sometimes. She likes Scott Bakula as an actor and she also likes the parent series NCIS because she also has the "hots" for Mark Harmon. I find their scripts often sufficiently well-crafted to give at least some decent (and consistent) character development and not THAT many "Duh" moments.
The New Orleans scenes are VERY recognizable and I have been to many of the places where they have shot their outdoor scenes. They also show scenes shot in local swamps and lots of aerial shots of bridges and highways in the area. I could find quite a few of them if asked to do so. Only a few places are clearly NOT shot on location, but that's OK because I know they have a production studio across Lake Ponchartrain (what we call "North Shore") where they shoot their interiors. And who cares where the post-production stuff is handled? (To add graphics, titles, etc.)
Just finished watching The Interview. It looks like a low budget movie, since most of it is conducted in an interview room. But don't let that detract from the how good the film is. Look at "The 12 Angry Men" as an example of mostly one room but a superb film. Anyways, comes highly recommended and is on Netflix.