Octopus Overlords

The Grand Guignol was doing it before movies were mainstream (or more than just a curiosity). But it goes back further than that, even. As the linked article states, Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus is more brutal and graphic than most horror films today even. And that’s hardly the only one.

In short: graphic violence in entertainment has been with us far longer than some seem to think.

I don’t mind it if it’s in service to the story, or so over the top it’s humorous. The Evil Dead films are a perfect example of the latter.

But movies that solely exist for the gore don’t appeal to me that much. The Faces of Death or Hostel type movies.

Very Bad Things is one of my personal favorites, but the scene that drives the plot is a hard watch.

So wait, Shakespeare wrote a horror story?

Sudy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:09 pm

Oddly, there are a handful of their films that just do nothing for me. O Brother, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers (ugh), Inside Llewyn Davis (great acting, but such a harsh film), Hail, Caesar! But these are all films I've never tried a second time, and I owe it to some of them.

I'm actually glad to hear I'm not the only one that doesn't really care for O Brother. It's weird in the sense that while I love the music and the period, there's just something about the pacing that puts me to sleep every time I try to watch it.

Like every filmmaker, they have some movies that are better than others. But even when a movie by the Coen brothers isn’t as good as their others, they’re almost always still better than the majority of films by other filmmakers.

I know that No Country for Old Men is a bit polarizing around here also, but I still love it immensely.

It is interesting how varied they've tended to be, and they're always quite detailed and textured movies, and there's almost always going to be something for everyone. I'd love to see them take on the Sci-fi genre, if they haven't already.

Regarding violence, I'll say this. I think it's possible for someone to enjoy a TV show and movie without enjoying or endorsing certain of aspects of them. For Breaking Bad for instance, I found it way more compelling when Walt was doing it for his cancer, but in the later seasons when it became more of a gang war, I found it increasingly harder to watch and not nearly as endearing, and I only really stuck it to the end to see if his brother-in-law would finally learn the truth. In Better Call Saul, I like the parts with Jimmy better, and I know Mike is considered a popular character, but I've disliked the the introduction of Tuco and other gang-related characters because to me they were the much darker aspects of Breaking Bad. I've also enjoyed the Supranos, and found the psychological aspect with Tony's visits to the shrink to be a fascinating exploration but there were also certain aspects that were a bit much at times, as with any gangster story. The violence and gore in Pan's Labyrinth has stayed with me for years. And I think people get affected by it differently.

Rumpy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 2:48 pm
Regarding violence, I'll say this. I think it's possible for someone to enjoy a TV show and movie without enjoying or endorsing certain of aspects of them.

It's not just "possible", it's the overwhelming truth. It's ludicrous to go around stating that everyone who plays a GTA game is a budding serial killer, or that anyone who likes horror films is secretly doing so for tips on how to torture people. You're dangerously close to Jack Thompson territory, Rumpy.

Me, Jack Tompson? Oh good grief. I'm trying to say that in the end, I agree with you, Hep, and I'm trying to be introspective.


But you know what, I'll leave this thread. Forever. Hell, maybe I'll leave the forum forever.

That's not what I got from that line I quoted. Your use of the word "endorsing" is what triggered my response. My apologies if I misunderstood your true meaning.

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 3:04 pm That's not what I got from that line I quoted. My apologies if I misunderstood your true meaning.

Yeah, I was trying to be as clear as possible, but I guess I wasn't clear enough. Maybe 'endorsing' was the wrong word choice. What I was trying to do was dispel all of that. I'm saying that all those examples are examples of something that can be enjoyed without condoning everything they depict. In essence, I was trying to say that I can see what can be enjoyed in that particular movie without necessarily enjoying or condoning the scene in the beginning or anything else in it. I think that makes sense. Of course, it all works differently for different people. I didn't intend to rankle you, Hep. Far from my intent. At the same time, I'm trying to explain why I personally feel affected in certain cases even while I enjoy some of these examples. Hope I've clarified it. Go back and read it and maybe you can see it in a more positive light.

And just because I've enjoyed GoT, doesn't mean I've enjoyed those particular scenes

Condoning probably isn't the right word either.

I enjoy horror movies a lot. But I (like the overwhelming majority of people in this world) don't view the acts of violence in a horror film, and say to myself "I condone/endorse that". I may say "cool" if it's a particularly inventive or absurd scene of violence, but that's not the same as saying "I wish I could do that in real life/I admire anyone who can do that in real life". It simply means I have a tolerance for such things/recognize the role such scenes play in our fictional entertainment. It's not a sign of anything else.

As for Pan's Labyrinth, the fact that the violence stayed with you doesn't mean those acts existed purely for the sake of violence. They existed to show you the horrors of war that forced this child to retreat to a fantasy world. I found it to be beautifully poetic in that aspect. And it ranks as one of my favorite films...even if it's ultimately a heartbreaking film. But I can accept that too as that is its intent and the story demands it.

Madmarcus wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 8:19 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 7:18 pm I was intrigued after Raising Arizona,

I remember loving that movie when it came out. I tried to watch it a few years ago and didn't last more than half an hour.

Really?! Didn't age well, or what? I have not seen it in many many years (because I watched it SO many times back in the day).

Best line/scene ever: "Son, you got a panty on your head"

I will never forget that.

Literally the one scene I think of every time someone mentions Raising Arizona.

I think it's still a great comedy and don't believe it has aged badly. Every time they show the scene of the Snoats brothers escaping prison in a scene that's evocative of giving birth, I have to laugh out loud.

Sudy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:09 pmOddly, there are a handful of their films that just do nothing for me. O Brother, Intolerable Cruelty

!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my rules in life is to watch anything with the insanely great Tim Blake Nelson in it. Hence my love of O Brother.

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:06 pm Condoning probably isn't the right word either.

I enjoy horror movies a lot. But I (like the overwhelming majority of people in this world) don't view the acts of violence in a horror film, and say to myself "I condone/endorse that". I may say "cool" if it's a particularly inventive or absurd scene of violence, but that's not the same as saying "I wish I could do that in real life/I admire anyone who can do that in real life". It simply means I have a tolerance for such things/recognize the role such scenes play in our fictional entertainment. It's not a sign of anything else.

As for Pan's Labyrinth, the fact that the violence stayed with you doesn't mean those acts existed purely for the sake of violence. They existed to show you the horrors of war that forced this child to retreat to a fantasy world. I found it to be beautifully poetic in that aspect. And it ranks as one of my favorite films...even if it's ultimately a heartbreaking film. But I can accept that too as that is its intent and the story demands it.

Truth, man. Truth., and I totally get what you're saying. I'm sorry we had such a problem seeing eye to eye, but in the end I wasn't disagreeing with you at all. And look, I'll be the first to admit that I'm bad at expressing myself at times. I think we were just arriving at it from different points of view. As far as violence goes, I guess my tolerance isn't quite as high as some people. There are limits to what I'm able to tolerate or feel comfortable with.

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong about Pan's Labyrinth. I get it why it was done, but it doesn't mean it didn't affect me heavily. It hit me pretty hard when I least expected it. I can at least appreciate it for certain aspects, but man... was that ever a gut punch. Friend dragged me to it and little did I know what to expect. He'd told me it was a dark fantasy and that was that. Had I known what I was getting into, I likely wouldn't have seen it. But after the movie my friend told me the same thing you were just telling me. It certainly is poetic, but it's also quite a sad story when you realize the girl can't escape the oppressive nature of what's around her and isn't even really safe in her fantasy world.

I watched Brazen (based on a Nora Roberts book) last night.

It was about as bad as you'd expect. At least it was a short bad (sub 100 mins).

Nora Roberts fans only (and maybe die-hard Alyissa Milano fans).

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:36 pm
Best line/scene ever: "Son, you got a panty on your head"

I love that line, but my favorite from RA is "Her womb was a rocky place, where my seed could find no purchase." Slays me every time.

JCC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 7:05 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:36 pm
Best line/scene ever: "Son, you got a panty on your head"

I love that line, but my favorite from RA is "Her womb was a rocky place, where my seed could find no purchase." Slays me every time.

Yep, another great one. Very "O Brother, Where Art Thou-ian"

JCC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 7:05 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:36 pm
Best line/scene ever: "Son, you got a panty on your head"

I love that line, but my favorite from RA is "Her womb was a rocky place, where my seed could find no purchase." Slays me every time.

Same, this and. “Not unless round is funny” or maybe “well then I guess I am telling you what you wanna hear”


What a great movie.

Unagi wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 7:29 pm Same, this and. “Not unless round is funny” or maybe “well then I guess I am telling you what you wanna hear”

Oh yes, "Not unless round is funny" is another gem!

So I watched the first episode of Guardians of Justice last night.

I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Sometimes it's surprisingly good or surprisingly bad CGI, sometimes goofy pixel art, sometimes decent anime animation, and sometimes it's practical effects/live action. EVERYTHING is thrown against the wall at some point. It's too soon to tell if this is just a rehash of The Boys or any of the other 1279 "Superheroes gone wild" stories out there, but I'm curious enough to see what style they'll throw in next to keep watching.

Guardians of Justice
Starring:Diamond Dallas Page
Need I say more?

Probably, since I have no clue who that is.

Google tells me he’s some kind of wrestler or something. As I find wrestling as interesting as spectator colonoscopies, I still don’t know much about him.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:35 pm Probably, since I have no clue who that is.

Former wrestler.
Current yoga dude.
And apparently actor.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Mar 03, 2022 12:54 pm So I watched the first episode of Guardians of Justice last night.

I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Sometimes it's surprisingly good or surprisingly bad CGI, sometimes goofy pixel art, sometimes decent anime animation, and sometimes it's practical effects/live action. EVERYTHING is thrown against the wall at some point. It's too soon to tell if this is just a rehash of The Boys or any of the other 1279 "Superheroes gone wild" stories out there, but I'm curious enough to see what style they'll throw in next to keep watching.

I've seen the first two episodes. I can't tell if it's good.

Ditto. I’ve only got one episode under my belt, but I’m not sure I’m up for another now.

Currently watching Pieces of Her, a thriller series starring Toni Collette. I'm loving it so far.

Anyone watch Against the Ice yet?

Exploring Greenland's vast landscape for a lost map, two men must fight to survive. Based on the true story of Denmark's 1909 polar expedition.

It stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Charles Dance from Game of Thrones, as well as Joe Cole from Peaky Blinders. I love me a good adventure movie, so I'm looking forward to seeing this one.

edit: never mind. RT has it at 50%. As we all know, I'm all about the certified fresh. But the critics all seem to echo the same sentiment that it isn't bad, just not as good as it should be.

If you're a fan of NC-W, watch Shot Caller. Excellent movie.

hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Mar 06, 2022 10:00 pm Ditto. I’ve only got one episode under my belt, but I’m not sure I’m up for another now.

I can confidently say dont bother.
I felt compelled to see it thru just to see if DDP uses the Diamond Cutter at all, and sadly, he does not.

hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:46 am

edit: never mind. RT has it at 50%. As we all know, I'm all about the certified fresh. But the critics all seem to echo the same sentiment that it isn't bad, just not as good as it should be.

In other words, par for the course with Netflix

I've been looking forward to it and I've seen Coster-Waldau doing the promotional rounds. But probably one of those movies that aren't half as good as they should be.

For some reason, it reminds me of Netflix's The Coldest Game. It came out right around the time of The Queen's Gambit, featuring Bill Pullman as a drunk chess player (who plays better while drunk) spying on behalf of the Americans during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Should theoretically been quite an interesting story, but both the story and the setting were squandered. You don't even really see him playing chess, so the intrigue in that is lost, and the whole movie devolves into a muddled mess of a storyline.

Windfall

Hustle

Adam Sandler as an NBA recruiter.

I finished Inventing Anna. Why in the world did I stick with that after seeing that it was going to be told from the reporter's point of view? Was that done to draw a 90-minute story into 9 hours? I hated so much about that series.

One for Skinypupy

McNutt wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 12:59 am I finished Inventing Anna. Why in the world did I stick with that after seeing that it was going to be told from the reporter's point of view? Was that done to draw a 90-minute story into 9 hours? I hated so much about that series.

Thanks for saving me any time wasted on that.

McNutt wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 12:59 am I finished Inventing Anna. Why in the world did I stick with that after seeing that it was going to be told from the reporter's point of view? Was that done to draw a 90-minute story into 9 hours? I hated so much about that series.

I read the original Vanity Fair article when it first came out a few years ago. I don't see the need to watch a TV show about it

The story should be about the fraudster. Instead we get a lot of time dedicated to the reporter's pregnancy, her relationship with her husband, etc.
They tried to make her out like she broke the biggest story since Woodward and Bernstein. It was terrible.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:40 pm One for Skinypupy

IN!!

Just started the final season of The Last Kingdom. While I enjoy the show’s action oriented but historically dubious stories, I do find myself still chuckling at the lead actor’s accent. He sounds like he’s doing a Pauly Shore impression.