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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Jul 27, 2021 14:33:40 GMT
Agreed. Split was great. Enjoyed Unbreakable and Glass
Glass had a pretty sad ending for my tastes
Sixth Sense is a masterpiece which I'm saving for October viewing
Not a fan of 'Devil'? Thought it was criminally underrated.
To be fair I have heard good things about Devil, though I haven't seen it. Glass is one of the dumbest movies ever made. It's legitimately awful. It's a bold choice to kill off your hero, but making him go out like a bitch to some random third party who was just introduced. Unconscionable. You're straight up trolling your audience. Imagine James Bond gets killed by a firearms accident at the shooting range. Indiana Jones gets pushed down the stairs by some guy who was mad he got the last bag of chips out of the vending machine. That's how fucking stupid the end of Glass was. An indestructible man with super strength gets drowned in a puddle. By some group introduced at the last minute of a trilogy. You couldn't try to write a worse movie. Well then it worked, eh?
You didn't see that ending coming from a mile away and it stirred an emotion within you 
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Jul 27, 2021 14:48:40 GMT
Split is the only movie I like on that list. Underrated, incredibly dark twist ending. The Unbreakable connection overshadowed one of the darkest twists in cinema history. The audience watches her survive an encounter with this superhuman monster, only to find out she's still living with her sex predator uncle at the end. Brilliant setup, weaving in those flashback throughout the film, making it look like she eventually got away from him. Then at the end the cop says, "Your guardian is here to pick you up." She doesn't move. "Your uncle is here to pick you up." The hopeless look on her face. So depressing, such a chilling twist. Shyamalan has maybe three good movies. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Split. I guess Signs is fun if you watch it as a comedy. Everything else is terrible. I've never been a fan of his but I agree mostly. I think Split is kinda fine, James McAvoy and Anya-Taylor Joy are both fantastic in it, but the movie underneath those two performances is pretty stupid. 2, maybe 3 years ago, I re-watched Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I think the Sixth Sense is a quality movie, but I don't get the unabashed adulation it gets. It's good and has some truly impactful sequences, but overall I find it to be overlong and somewhat tedious. Unbreakable, on the other hand, that movie was really something. It's brilliantly shot, everyone has great chemistry in it, the music is terrific, everything about it clicked for me. It's weird that you watch something like that, and then you watch dogshit like The Village, The Happening, Lady in the Water and so on, and you wonder where his sense of filmmaking went. He clearly has talent and a unique ability, but it's like he becomes so enamored of twists that builds the movie around that and everything feels shoehorned in. Plus, his lesser entries are so devoid of tension and the performances are largely awful. Split is weird and goofy in a way, the superhuman part is the least interesting element of the film for me. The premise beyond that is brilliant. This completely unhinged psychopath likes to destroy things that are beautiful, but he spares this girl once he realizes she's damaged, too. She's using her wits and her experience with evil to find a way to survive, you absolutely believe she has the fortitude to do this because she escaped a monster before; only to find out she never really did. It's as bold a twist as I can think of. Imagine that pitch meeting. "The implication at the end is the heroine is still actively being molested by her uncle. Roll credits." Shyamalan has balls, I have to give him that. Unbreakable is an incredible film. Literally ahead of its time. If it came out today, it would be hailed as a fresh take on the superhero genre. I love the simplicity of the concept. "What if a superhuman just wanted to be a regular guy." And it's played as a drama, not an action flick at all. The twist is clever in that early Shyamalan 'this is so obvious I can't believe I didn't see it coming' kind of way. Filmmakers are like musicians, sometimes the creative impetus evolves into something incredible while other times entire albums are very clearly going through the motions. In Shyamalan's case, it's easy to discern his passion projects, the stuff he really has great inspiration for; from his 'I kind of have an idea here and I might as well cash in' projects. For me, Split was a great film and linking it to Unbreakable was a fun wink to his fans that should've ended there. Glass was Shyamalan at his worst, cashing in on the 'superhero trilogy' concept and trying to outthink himself as well as the audience. "They'll never see this coming." No we won't, because it makes no fucking narrative sense and ruins the entire story.
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Jul 27, 2021 14:57:21 GMT
To be fair I have heard good things about Devil, though I haven't seen it. Glass is one of the dumbest movies ever made. It's legitimately awful. It's a bold choice to kill off your hero, but making him go out like a bitch to some random third party who was just introduced. Unconscionable. You're straight up trolling your audience. Imagine James Bond gets killed by a firearms accident at the shooting range. Indiana Jones gets pushed down the stairs by some guy who was mad he got the last bag of chips out of the vending machine. That's how fucking stupid the end of Glass was. An indestructible man with super strength gets drowned in a puddle. By some group introduced at the last minute of a trilogy. You couldn't try to write a worse movie. Well then it worked, eh?
You didn't see that ending coming from a mile away and it stirred an emotion within you No, it didn't. That's not how storytelling works. Imagine I was talking to you beefeater aliens high wire roadkill that cloud looks like a hamburger giraffes. There are rules to an established narrative, you don't throw in non sequiturs to try to prove how clever you are. The point of a story, even a thriller with a twist ending, isn't to make sure nobody on the Earth could ever guess what happens next. You're writing a cohesive story that, while not everyone will feel the same way about it (that's the point of art), people will appreciate the journey they took to get there. The pieces of the puzzle should all fit together even if you don't like the picture in the end.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Jul 27, 2021 16:09:35 GMT
Well then it worked, eh?
You didn't see that ending coming from a mile away and it stirred an emotion within you No, it didn't. That's not how storytelling works. Imagine I was talking to you beefeater aliens high wire roadkill that cloud looks like a hamburger giraffes. There are rules to an established narrative, you don't throw in non sequiturs to try to prove how clever you are. The point of a story, even a thriller with a twist ending, isn't to make sure nobody on the Earth could ever guess what happens next. You're writing a cohesive story that, while not everyone will feel the same way about it (that's the point of art), people will appreciate the journey they took to get there. The pieces of the puzzle should all fit together even if you don't like the picture in the end. Yeah, your spot on with Glass (that's not the only problem with that movie by a long shot), but something like that can work. I remember people complaining similarly about No Country for Old Men when that had come out. The idea that the main character is killed off screen, unceremoniously was called bad writing by the people that weren't on board, but of course that solidifies the thing that the story is all about. Those who into that movie because they thought the violence and suspense were cool and didn't really understand what the Coens and by extension Cormac McCarthy were going for didn't see that it was thematically imperative for it to happen that way. Now that was set up, but the idea of the harshness and randomness of violence in the universe comes back later in a truly random moment when Anton is hit by the car. His character walks away from that, but if McCarthy had killed him off by some random occurrence I think it would still have been in line with what the story was communicating.... Sorry for derailing things here... just was reminded of previous arguments i've had.
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Jul 27, 2021 16:30:37 GMT
No, it didn't. That's not how storytelling works. Imagine I was talking to you beefeater aliens high wire roadkill that cloud looks like a hamburger giraffes. There are rules to an established narrative, you don't throw in non sequiturs to try to prove how clever you are. The point of a story, even a thriller with a twist ending, isn't to make sure nobody on the Earth could ever guess what happens next. You're writing a cohesive story that, while not everyone will feel the same way about it (that's the point of art), people will appreciate the journey they took to get there. The pieces of the puzzle should all fit together even if you don't like the picture in the end. Yeah, your spot on with Glass (that's not the only problem with that movie by a long shot), but something like that can work. I remember people complaining similarly about No Country for Old Men when that had come out. The idea that the main character is killed off screen, unceremoniously was called bad writing by the people that weren't on board, but of course that solidifies the thing that the story is all about. Those who into that movie because they thought the violence and suspense were cool and didn't really understand what the Coens and by extension Cormac McCarthy were going for didn't see that it was thematically imperative for it to happen that way. Now that was set up, but the idea of the harshness and randomness of violence in the universe comes back later in a truly random moment when Anton is hit by the car. His character walks away from that, but if McCarthy had killed him off by some random occurrence I think it would still have been in line with what the story was communicating.... Sorry for derailing things here... just was reminded of previous arguments i've had. It totally works in NCFOM because as you pointed out, that's an underlying theme in the narrative. Taking an established character from a 'superhero' franchise (even a grounded, more dramatic one) and having him killed in a borderline comical fashion by a completely random set of characters is a kick in the nuts to the audience. It would've been a downer, but if we were introduced to this group in the first or even second film (shit, at the beginning of this one! Not tacked on to the story at the last minute), it would be easier to swallow. There are plenty of great movies where the protagonist dies and/or the 'bad guys' win. And it isn't always a glorious death. But Glass was just trying way too hard to 'subvert expectations.'
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Jul 27, 2021 16:43:16 GMT
Split is the only movie I like on that list. Underrated, incredibly dark twist ending. The Unbreakable connection overshadowed one of the darkest twists in cinema history. The audience watches her survive an encounter with this superhuman monster, only to find out she's still living with her sex predator uncle at the end. Brilliant setup, weaving in those flashback throughout the film, making it look like she eventually got away from him. Then at the end the cop says, "Your guardian is here to pick you up." She doesn't move. "Your uncle is here to pick you up." The hopeless look on her face. So depressing, such a chilling twist. Shyamalan has maybe three good movies. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Split. I guess Signs is fun if you watch it as a comedy. Everything else is terrible. I've never been a fan of his but I agree mostly. I think Split is kinda fine, James McAvoy and Anya-Taylor Joy are both fantastic in it, but the movie underneath those two performances is pretty stupid. 2, maybe 3 years ago, I re-watched Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I think the Sixth Sense is a quality movie, but I don't get the unabashed adulation it gets. It's good and has some truly impactful sequences, but overall I find it to be overlong and somewhat tedious. Unbreakable, on the other hand, that movie was really something. It's brilliantly shot, everyone has great chemistry in it, the music is terrific, everything about it clicked for me. It's weird that you watch something like that, and then you watch dogshit like The Village, The Happening, Lady in the Water and so on, and you wonder where his sense of filmmaking went. He clearly has talent and a unique ability, but it's like he becomes so enamored of twists that he builds the entire movie around them and everything feels shoehorned in. Plus, his lesser entries are so devoid of tension and the performances are largely awful.
I have always said that Shyamalan is a very good director but not nearly as good a screenwriter as he thinks he is.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Jul 27, 2021 16:47:00 GMT
I've never been a fan of his but I agree mostly. I think Split is kinda fine, James McAvoy and Anya-Taylor Joy are both fantastic in it, but the movie underneath those two performances is pretty stupid. 2, maybe 3 years ago, I re-watched Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I think the Sixth Sense is a quality movie, but I don't get the unabashed adulation it gets. It's good and has some truly impactful sequences, but overall I find it to be overlong and somewhat tedious. Unbreakable, on the other hand, that movie was really something. It's brilliantly shot, everyone has great chemistry in it, the music is terrific, everything about it clicked for me. It's weird that you watch something like that, and then you watch dogshit like The Village, The Happening, Lady in the Water and so on, and you wonder where his sense of filmmaking went. He clearly has talent and a unique ability, but it's like he becomes so enamored of twists that he builds the entire movie around them and everything feels shoehorned in. Plus, his lesser entries are so devoid of tension and the performances are largely awful.
I have always said that Shyamalan is a very good director but not nearly as good a screenwriter as he thinks he is.
I entirely agree. Even his worst movies are filled visual tension and well composed images. He even casts really well and gets terrific performances out of some of the silliest material. I say this having never seen The Last Airbender though. And come to think if it, none of that applies to After Earth. |
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Jul 28, 2021 15:36:58 GMT
Marshawn Lynch on First Take This is awkward! He looks/sounds drunk/stoned and just used the word 'Bullsh*tting' Max just interrupted him telling him it's a 'Family Program'
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Post by klawrencio79 on Jul 28, 2021 16:38:42 GMT
I watched the Woodstock '99 documentary on HBO last night. What an absolute clusterfuck. I remember when this happened, but I guess I never realized just how many people were there. What a horrible job of planning the event, coupled with a complete lack of foresight and vision, and topped off by putting people in charge who take 0 responsibility for their actions and just point the fingers at everyone else, sometimes in disgusting ways. Market it to the couple hundred thousand drunken dude-bros with no concept of accountability of their own and you get a truly magical concert going experience...
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Jul 28, 2021 16:52:05 GMT
I watched the Woodstock '99 documentary on HBO last night. What an absolute clusterfuck. I remember when this happened, but I guess I never realized just how many people were there. What a horrible job of planning the event, coupled with a complete lack of foresight and vision, and topped off by putting people in charge who take 0 responsibility for their actions and just point the fingers at everyone else, sometimes in disgusting ways. Market it to the couple hundred thousand drunken dude-bros with no concept of accountability of their own and you get a truly magical concert going experience... Not to let anyone off the hook, but with a crowd that size it was always going to be a disaster. Think about the difference in the culture from 1969 to 1999. The original Woodstock was about peace, love, self expression, etc. Woodstock 99 was about...? The ultimate frat party is what it was. These assholes heard the legends of the original Woodstock and thought, "Hey I'll just show up and naked chicks will throw themselves at me...and if that doesn't happen, one way or another I'm getting laid." So yeah, the ultimate frat party. I haven't seen the doc and again by no means am I excusing management of culpability, but that concept was destined to be a nightmare based on its era and who it was marketed to. It was game over as soon as they put nu metal bands on the ticket.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Jul 31, 2021 13:05:48 GMT
'Son of Kong' (1933) via HBO Max I love the description - 'Two men and girl find King Kong's white son.'  I guess Kong had a white wife. 28% Rotten Tomato Score Let's Give It A Whirl!  |
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Jul 31, 2021 14:21:39 GMT
John Candy mini-summer marathon - Summer Rental The Great Outdoors |
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Post by bluerisk on Jul 31, 2021 17:49:50 GMT
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Post by NJtoTX on Jul 31, 2021 18:03:48 GMT
Interesting. What kind of games? Or is this like pinball? All kinds of old arcade games. From the early Atari, Sega, Taito and Namco games (think Galaga, Arkanoid, Space Invaders) right through to Neo-Geo and Capcom games (Street Fighter, Final Fight etc). Tons of sports games too. Got some arcade style buttons and joysticks and made a 2 player cabinet. Lots of fun. This was my favorite all-time game. Macintosh. |
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Aug 1, 2021 11:24:29 GMT
Free Horror via Showtime - 'Grizzly II: Revenge' - 1983 'A grizzly bear goes on a bloody rampage as people gather for a concert at Yellowstone National Park.' Star Studded Cast - Charlie Sheen, George Cloony, Laura Dern Let's Do It!
** Edit - just got done.
Greatest Movie Ever.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Aug 2, 2021 13:38:36 GMT
'Downhill Racer' (1969 - Robert Redford/Gene Hackman) Free on Pluto! 'A cocky American skier's arrogant behavior clashes with his coach prior to the Olympics.' Fits right in with the Olympics going on 58% Rotten Tomato Score Let's Give It A Whirl! |
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Aug 6, 2021 11:27:29 GMT
Free Horror via Showtime Kevin James in a 'Horror'? Becky (2020) Kevin James 'A rebellious girl turns the tables on a group of convicts at a lakefront house.' 72% Rotten Tomato Score / 56% Popcorn Score Let's Give It A Whirl!
** Edit - I'm 5 minutes into this and I'm calling it right now - this is going to be similar to the brilliant High (Haute) Tension - Becky is actually the killer (Kevin James is actually in her head/is her)
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Post by masterofallgoons on Aug 6, 2021 11:38:26 GMT
Free Horror via Showtime Kevin James in a 'Horror'? Becky (2020) Kevin James 'A rebellious girl turns the tables on a group of convicts at a lakefront house.' 72% Rotten Tomato Score / 56% Popcorn Score Let's Give It A Whirl!
** Edit - I'm 5 minutes into this and I'm calling it right now - this is going to be similar to the brilliant High (Haute) Tension - Becky is actually the killer (Kevin James is actually in her head/is her)
All killers in all movies are actually just the alter egos of the protagonists... while in purgatory... |
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on Aug 6, 2021 12:56:23 GMT
All killers in all movies are actually just the alter egos of the protagonists... while in purgatory... This movie is unbearable.
I have no clue how some of these movies get such high scores.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Aug 6, 2021 14:18:42 GMT
All killers in all movies are actually just the alter egos of the protagonists... while in purgatory... This movie is unbearable.
I have no clue how some of these movies get such high scores.
Not enough predictable twists? |
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