195 replies to this topic

[Rory Abel]

The Horde - French Zombie movie about corrupt cops forced to team up with the criminals they were trying to kill in order to survive. Pretty forget about until the crazy, horny old man shows up. He makes it worthwhile.

Deep Space - Alien knock-off that features neither space (deep or otherwise) nor an actual alien. I'm pretty sure it did start out as an alien and then changed it so they wouldn't get sued or something. The gender politics in it are really weird. The female cop is completely and utterly useless, spends most of the time cowering and screaming. When she final does something it always fails, while the police captain, a jerk the main character does like, is instrumental in killing the monster.

[stephanie familiar]

Yeah, Newsroom was great this week. I laugh a lot at this show, and it's rarely a cheap laugh. I hope Waterston gets a nomination for this one, although I'm not exactly sure for what category.

have you watched episode seven yet? it was another great one. better than last week's. it was a really wonderful moment when

Spoiler

don starts to say "How paranoid do you have to be..."

also mackenzie is my favourite. she's so quirky and cute!

[Jacowboy (Jonathan)]

I didn't say that it was. Doesn't make it any better, though. All through the film, I was hoping that all of this was misdirection - after all, the film was supposed to be built along the lines of a magical trick - and there'd be a reveal that'd make rational instead of mystical sense.

But that was the entire point of the movie... much like with Inception, there was this "breaking of the 4th wall" message, or however you wanna call it, embedded on that particular plot point; which is in part why I think there was no other real "magical" tricks in the movie and everything else was in the domain of the rational and feasible.

Apparently Nolan likes doing these weird "experiments" between the story and the viewers with his movies (at least with The Prestige and Inception)...

This blog or whatever it is has a very good explanation very much in line to what the movie was all about for me, if you're interested in reading more about it:

http://davidgroberts...ks-and-fiction/

Edited by Jacowboy (Jonathan), 07 August 2012 - 06:54 AM.

[Christian U]

But that was the entire point of the movie... much like with Inception, there was this "breaking of the 4th wall" message, or however you wanna call it,

I call it a deus-ex-machina cop-out.

If you're making a movie about the deceptions of magic tricks, why would you climax with actual magic? That's just like making a movie about dreams in which the dreams actually don't work like real dreams at all! Oh, wait...

In that blog, the writer likens the movie to a magic trick, which is of course what it's supposed to be, given the narrator's explaining of magic tricks' structure. But that is exactly the greatest failing of the film, that it doesn't work like a stage trick, invalidating everything it is supposed to be about.

Except if what you're saying that the trick is that there is no trick, to which I say cheap cop-out!

[Dave Wallace]

In that blog, the writer likens the movie to a magic trick, which is of course what it's supposed to be, given the narrator's explaining of magic tricks' structure. But that is exactly the greatest failing of the film, that it doesn't work like a stage trick, invalidating everything it is supposed to be about.

Exactly.

[craggy]

watching the dvd box-set I got for my birthday, of 1990s not-X-Files series, Dark Skies. I never really got into the whole Mulder and Scully malarkey but did quite enjoy this, more focussed conspiracy show. For some of its run it was in a fairly consistent time-slot for a sci-fi show as well, IIRC. Unlike, say, Babylon 5. Only one season, which is strange, because I had misremembered it as being at least 2, but then it is quite long. Effects are pretty decent for TV at the time. Some of the acting is good, and the historical setting is relatively interesting. Last ep I saw had the evil bad alien dudes trying to use The Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan show to brainwash humanity or something.

[Jacowboy (Jonathan)]

I call it a deus-ex-machina cop-out.

If you're making a movie about the deceptions of magic tricks, why would you climax with actual magic? That's just like making a movie about dreams in which the dreams actually don't work like real dreams at all! Oh, wait...

In that blog, the writer likens the movie to a magic trick, which is of course what it's supposed to be, given the narrator's explaining of magic tricks' structure. But that is exactly the greatest failing of the film, that it doesn't work like a stage trick, invalidating everything it is supposed to be about.

Except if what you're saying that the trick is that there is no trick, to which I say cheap cop-out!

Yeah, and it was exactly what I thought the first time I watched it... Then I paid more attention to what "Cutter" says through the movie, and it kinda clicked for me.

To me, it's not so much that the movie is structured like a magic trick, following the 3 ficticious parts of a trick, which it is... but the movie is a magic trick by itself, because every movie sort of is. They're not real, they're just illusions, and the people involved are the tricksters or the magicians, and we, the viewers, are expected and supposed to be immersed in the illusions they provide, because even if we know what we're watching is not real, we "don't want to know" in that precise moment.

Or as Cutter (cutter -> editor?) literally says at the end: "Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled"

It's all about the special realtion between the magician (the director, cast & crew), the trick (the movie), and the audience (the viewers) created during the lenght of the experience.

So yeah, I'll admit it seems like a clunky deus-ex awkwardly placed in a movie that insists on being as realistic as possible, but that is precisely what gives it away.

The I watched Inception, in which he does a very similar thing at the end, and I was sure of it. That's why Nolan is a favorite of mine, and why his Batman trilogy is in some way a disapointment, even if it did allow him to become a name and get the funds to do his other projects. I really hope now he'll continue doing his weird movies though

[Johnny Henning]

Yes, I thought the introduction of actual transportation in the movie was strange, but at the same time, in the end, it's a much stronger exploration of the themes. It further heightens the contrast between the main antagonists while at the same time makes them more alike.

The movie isn't about magic, really, it's about sacrifice. What does Borden sacrifice for his performance and what does Angier? Both men have two lives. Borden's is obvious, and we later learn about Angier being a different person from the one he claimed to be.

It doesn't matter that Angier's trick is real - what matters is his commitment to it.

[David Meadows]

The girl who plays young Snow White in Once upon a Time could be the greatest actress I've ever seen.

Either that or she's CGI.

[stephanie familiar]

The girl who plays young Snow White in Once upon a Time could be the greatest actress I've ever seen.

Either that or she's CGI.

she was in something that i found her incredibly annoying in, but i forget what it was.

[Paul F]

The girl who plays young Snow White in Once upon a Time could be the greatest actress I've ever seen.

Either that or she's CGI.

Bailee Madison, I think she's been around for a while.

She was supposed to play Calista in the Powers TV series.

[David Meadows]

She mimiced the speech and mannerisms of the older actress in way that would have been impressive in an adult and was amazing from a child.

[stephanie familiar]

She mimiced the speech and mannerisms of the older actress in way that would have been impressive in an adult and was amazing from a child.

i think it's that she just looks a lot like the older actress.

[David Meadows]

Yes, the resemblance was uncanny (I thought she might be her daughter). But it was a lot more than looks. Speech patterns and everything were spot on.

[Chris D]

she was in something that i found her incredibly annoying in, but i forget what it was.

I've seen her in something else as well, and felt similarly. I also can't remember what it was. I'm too lazy to imdb it in any case.

[Adam Balson]

Say what you will about Batman Forever, Jim Carey and Tommy Lee Jones are having a lot of fun.

And I used to love this film... Now I love it because it's like watching a car crash.

[stephanie familiar]

I've seen her in something else as well, and felt similarly. I also can't remember what it was. I'm too lazy to imdb it in any case.

i'm also lazy, but i caved and looked her up.
i didn't really see any of the movies she was in, so it must have been law and order svu.

[Ogul]

have you watched episode seven yet? it was another great one. better than last week's. it was a really wonderful moment when

Yeah, just watched ep 7, fun stuff. They did a great job within a single episode of exploring how that news story impacted all sorts of different people, and combined all that with some brilliantly fun character work. And a Biden joke! It's also nice to see Allison from Eureka getting some more work.

[Dave Wallace]

Say what you will about Batman Forever, Jim Carey and Tommy Lee Jones are having a lot of fun.

And I used to love this film... Now I love it because it's like watching a car crash.

I don't mind Batman Forever actually - as a modern take on the 1960s-style camp-y Batman I think it succeeds pretty well. Kilmer is a good Batman - if not a particularly good Bruce Wayne - and the introduction of Robin is handled pretty well too. And like you say, Carey and Jones are clearly enjoying themselves.

[craggy]

watching more Dark Skies. last episode Hank Schrader from Breaking Bad popped up as a redneck southerner whose racism was strong enough to fight alien possession.