Saturday Evening Movie Thread 02-16-2019 [Hosted By: TheJamesMadison]

One Frame at a Time

I love old special effects.

Rear projection that's obviously fake, compositing that has elements fading into each other, literal drawing on the film cells, I love it all. Beyond their quaint qualities, I like to see people with limited means to create the impossible visually stretch, using every tool they had at their disposal, to invent new images that the audience had never seen before.

Out of all of it, though, my personal favorite is probably stop-motion animation, using a stiff and articulated doll, filming it a single frame at a time, to create the illusion of moving, breathing creatures on film. The technique is almost as old as film itself (there's a lost short film from 1898 called Humpty Dumpty's Circus), and it was used for decades until newer technologies supplanted it.

Early History

Stop-motion animation is largely used for fantasy type movies. Silent films used it, in particular around The Lost World, the adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story, but there was something about its use in King Kong that inspired a young boy in California.

The interesting thing about Kong is the hair on his body. Willis O'Brien used rabbit fur to cover the giant ape's rubber musculature, but they never figured out a good way to keep the hair from moving when they manipulated the armature from one shot to the next. Without any way to solve the issue, the team charged forward with the work, concerned that the public would see the movement of the fur from shot to shot and instantly call it fake looking.

The movie released, and there are contemporary reviews of the film that actually praised the movement of the fur.

I don't think that anyone over the age of 8 ever really considered Kong to be terribly realistic looking, but audiences of the day were more open to less than realistic special effects because it was the best they could get. They seemed to be more open than modern audiences in general to extend suspension of disbelief towards things like a giant ape made from a puppet moving jerkily from one frame to the next.

I remember talking to my dad about the film, and he told me that he didn't like the movie. All he could see was the fake looking puppet.

Ray Harryhausen

That little boy in California was none other than Ray Harryhausen who would go on to become the name known for stop-motion animation. He worked for decades creating models and moving them slightly and very slowly while taking their pictures and trying to combine them with footage of actors.

What he ended up creating were some of the most magical fantastical creatures in film. From Kali, the six armed goddess in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and the skeletons in Clash of the Titans all the way back to his work on the ape in Mighty Joe Young, Harryhausen embraced the fantastical, eschewing the literal, and bringing classic visions to celluloid.

And that's really what I love about stop-motion animation. It was a combination of heedless ambition, limited means, and the desire to simply bring new visions to the screen. There was little concern for providing evolutionary explanations for how a giant cyclops would populate on a small island, it was simply there. Jason lived in a land of magic, and that was enough explanation.

What We've Begun to Lose

That heedless embrace of fantasy in its widest terms is something that I feel is lost in modern fantasy cinema. I love the design of The Lord of the Rings, but it flies in the face of the old aesthetic. Everything in Peter Jackson's fantasy feels like it came from a real time and place, long ago, and it works there, but most fantasy has embraced that philosophy in its wake.

There's a literalism to many filmgoers that discourages things like weird images unmoored from reality. There's a pickiness about how some creature could never exist in Earth's gravity or that wings that small couldn't provide the lift to carry a creature of that size. Most audiences don't care, but the ones who do tend to have Youtube channels that get millions of hits complaining about little things just like that (*cough*Cinema Sins*cough*) and they highlight all of it. Writers and directors see that sort of traffic around such nitpicks and don't want to be called out for such "sins", so they actively move to prevent it, undermining the sort of fantasy you might want from lighter fare.

That aesthetic isn't quite gone, though. I think of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The first one had walking skeletons, a la Jason, while the next two films were filled with sea monster people and ended with a goddess growing in size to a giant and then turning into a sea of crabs. I know that the director of all three movies, Gore Verbinski, was influenced directly by Harryhausen, and it's this embrace of the absurd that helps me to appreciate all three films.

My favorite is actually the second one, Dead Man's Chest, because, while the plot went ridiculous, it had a light and fun tone that matched well with its clippy pace and the absurd design of Davy Jones and his crew. It was the third movie that embraced a more somber and serious tone (for some reason) where the clash really began to set in for me.
Still, the films worked best when it combined unrealistic design with a light tone. We didn't need a literal mindset to appreciate how the weird creatures fit into the world, because the movie never really asked us to take the creatures' origins terribly seriously. Hand waving the word "magic" at weird things in stories can have a certain charm that I feel isn't really appreciated.

Back to the Point

The unreality of stop motion animation, the fact that it's really hard to get smooth motion from moving dolls one frame at a time, lends itself naturally towards fantasy. In order to get the kind of smooth motion from a stop motion puppet, you'd need a very large model in order to produce the tiny movement that real life sees in one-twenty-fourth of a second. It doesn't help the art form's reality when most productions actually film at a slightly lower framerate (like sixteen frames per second), which ups the jauntiness.

The last major motion picture that I can find that used stop-motion animation in a way to create an intendedly believable creature (as opposed to something jokey like in Monkeybone) was Coneheads. The below represents about the best that stop-motion animation was ever going to get:

That very same year, Steven Spielberg rejected a form of stop-motion animation for Jurassic Park (called Go-Motion, which was used in Robocop), and the success of the computer generated dinosaurs represented the end of the stop-motion technique for believable creatures. Just compare the look of the (now 26-year old) CGI to the stop-motion above:

It moves so much more smoothly and in a much more lifelike manner than the stop-motion monster. It's inherently more believable because it moves more in line with how we see motion in the real world. For many, that's an all around plus, but for me, it represents the end of something that I found wonderful. It represents the end of the embrace of pure fantasy, which is ironic since computer generated effects can produce so much more than stop-motion animation ever did. But it was the unreality of stop-motion animation techniques that I found provided that intangible sense of fantasy, almost like I was stepping into another world that operated on different rules.

Movies of Today

Opening in Theaters:
Alita: Battle Angel
Isn't It Romantic

Next in my Netflix Queue:
The Babe

Movies I Saw This Fortnight:
Dragon Inn Full Review (Netflix Rating 3/5 | Quality Rating 2/4) Poster blurb: "Hu obviously has a strong eye and can fill a frame artfully, but it all felt so artificial to me." [Netflix DVD]
Top Hat Full Review (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "Astaire and Rogers have real chemistry. The music and dancing really is well done." [Netflix DVD]
The Big Country Full Review (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 4/4) "It’s amazing that Wyler and Heston went on to release the gargantuan Ben-Hur just a year later." [Amazon Prime]
Bird Full Review (Netflix Rating 3/5 | Quality Rating 2.5/4) "[F]inely produced and well acted, but it felt too all over the place, trying to gather up as much of the life of Charlie Parker that could fit into 160 minutes." [STARZ]
Wild Strawberries Full Review (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 4/4) "It’s a wonderfully humanist tale from a director who is more well-known for existential dread and stark images rather than a gentle touch." [Personal Collection]
Faster (Netflix Rating 2/5 | Quality Rating 1/4) Full Review "Faster piles characters and plot twists where they don’t belong, turning what should have been a simple but fun throwback into a mess." [Netflix DVD]
Shoeshine Full Review (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 3.5/4) "It’s not de Sica’s best film (I still think that’s Umberto D and most consider it to be Bicycle Thieves), but it’s still very good and very much worth the time." [Amazon Prime]
Glass Full Review (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "[W]ell acted, looks good, and has a very interesting take on its central idea." [Theater]
To Joy Full Review (Netflix Rating 3/5 | Quality Rating 2.5/4) "I wanted to like it more than I did, but there are some larger elements that I don’t think get quite the support that they should." [Personal Collection]
Khartoum Full Review (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "It’s thin, razor thin, and assembled so poorly that I was exasperated through the entire movie, desperate for anything to actually grab onto except the occasionally sumptuous desert vistas." ["Library"]

Contact

Email any suggestions or questions to thejamesmadison.aos at symbol gmail dot com.
Follow me on Twitter.

I've also archived all the old posts here, by request. I'll add new posts a week after they originally post at the HQ.

Posted by: OregonMuse at 07:28 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 TJM, I can't believe you did a piece on stop-motion animation and managed to leave out one of my all time favorite movies, Valley of the Gwangi (1969). It is so hilariously cheesy, I can't even imagine what the original pitch must have been:

Studio CEO: "Gentlemen, I need ideas. It's 1969 and TV has really cut into our profits. Plus, those damn filthy hippies are all out communing with nature and smoking pot instead of paying money to see our movies. So what can we do?"

Studio Exec. #1: "We need a movie about cowboys."

Studio Exec. #2: "No, we need a movie about dinosaurs."

Studio CEO: "What about a movie with cowboys AND dinosaurs?"

Studio Exec. #3: "Because that would be too stupid and cheesy, even for stoned hippies?"

Studio CEO: "Aw, what do you know? It'll work. Trust me, it'll work. Or you're both FIRED."

-------------

Check this out stop-motion dinosaur fight from VotG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDJ-Y-_Dxs

This 12-minute featurette, Evolution of Cinema Dinosaurs (1920-2015) , is also fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hxSws2W0-E

Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at February 16, 2019 12:58 PM (ebz3G)

2 Yay, movie sign!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 07:25 PM (kQs4Y)

3 hiya

Posted by: JT at February 16, 2019 07:25 PM (90ehy)

4 1 TJM, I can't believe you did a piece on stop-motion animation and managed to leave out one of my all time favorite movies, Valley of the Gwangi (1969). It is so hilariously cheesy, I can't even imagine what the original pitch must have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hxSws2W0-E
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at February 16, 2019 12:58 PM (ebz3G)

======

Alas, my movie knowledge is not complete!

I must rectify this!

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:25 PM (zZbCU)

5 Not fair OM, firsting your own thread

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 07:25 PM (/rm4P)

6 5 Not fair OM, firsting your own thread
Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 07:25 PM (/rm4P)

=======

He had thoughts.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:26 PM (zZbCU)

7 Best stop-motion is Aardman.

Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit are awesome. I love those even more than my six year-old.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:26 PM (e7oj4)

8 5 Not fair OM, firsting your own thread
Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 07:25 PM (/rm4P)

Plus, I used my cob superpowers to post the comment before publishing the thread, so it's doubleplus unfair!

Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at February 16, 2019 07:27 PM (ebz3G)

9 I remember Harryhausen's Medusa. She looked like Nora Desmond.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 07:28 PM (PUmDY)

10 The original King Kong is still one of the greats of all time. If you've got a good story, and you have great editing, it makes up for flaws in the special effects.

Many of today's flicks are the opposite.

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 07:28 PM (1UZdv)

11 The stop-motion dinosaurs in Caveman were hilarious.

A guilty pleasure from my youth, because I have a weakness for fart jokes.

https://youtu.be/c1AQZopGG44

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:28 PM (e7oj4)

12 I for one loved the Golden Voyage of Sinbad as a tot, especially when the statue of Kali creaks to life and starts robochopping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROssbvtE41U

That's Dr. Who under the turban.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 07:29 PM (kQs4Y)

13 I always love it when the kids want to watch Wallace and Grommet and / or Shaun the Sheep.

The Shaun the Sheep movie from a few years ago is great btw.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - Everything I Needed to Know About Coding I Learned From RBG at February 16, 2019 07:29 PM (xyung)

14 I appreciate special effects these days, and in awe of how they do it.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 07:29 PM (/rm4P)

15 Two items:
Bruno Ganz, who played Hitler in "Downfall" and spawned dozens of YouTube parodies, has passed away at 77.
Tommy Wiseau has a new movie coming soon called "Big Shark." You might think that title is metaphorical, or some such, but this is Tommy Wiseau. It's about a big shark.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at February 16, 2019 07:30 PM (l9m7l)

16 The skeletons in Voyage of Sinbad crack me up, RBG could beat them in a sword fight.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 07:30 PM (/rm4P)

17 Peter Gabriel had some amazing stop motion videos.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 07:31 PM (PUmDY)

18 The stop motion in "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride" was stunning.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at February 16, 2019 07:31 PM (l9m7l)

19 The Shaun the Sheep movie from a few years ago is great btw.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - Everything I Needed to Know About Coding I Learned From RBG at February 16, 2019 07:29 PM (xyung)

--When the Sheep Herder becomes a celebrity hairdresser?

Hilarious.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:31 PM (e7oj4)

20 I used to quite like those cheesy old Greek hero movies. Jason and the Argonauts. And IIRC there was a a series of Hercules movies.
Who was the lead as muscular Hercules? Was it something Reves?

Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable? at February 16, 2019 07:32 PM (JgA4k)

21 I loved the old Sinbad, Hairy Ape and the Christmas stop motion animation movies and TV shows.

Fake as can be, but it fit the time and the place. Like reading a novel and visualizing the scenes in my head is what stop motion animation always looked like to me.

Not so realistic but that was the point.....it was just fun.

Fun....when was the last time Hollyweird remembered that word.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at February 16, 2019 07:33 PM (Z+IKu)

22 >>> I always love it when the kids want to watch Wallace and Grommet and / or Shaun the Sheep.

Creature Comforts is a great series. It's on YooToob.

Posted by: fluffy at February 16, 2019 07:33 PM (dCRRg)

23 Creature Comforts is a great series. It's on YooToob.

Posted by: fluffy at February 16, 2019 07:33 PM (dCRRg)

--

Thanks, haven't seen that.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - Everything I Needed to Know About Coding I Learned From RBG at February 16, 2019 07:34 PM (xyung)

24 18 The stop motion in "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride" was stunning.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at February 16, 2019 07:31 PM (l9m7l)

--Both are classics.

Even if the story is simple, like with Timmy Time episodes, I am so enthralled by the technique that I don't care.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:34 PM (e7oj4)

25 >>> Thanks, haven't seen that.

See you in a couple hours :--)

Posted by: fluffy at February 16, 2019 07:35 PM (dCRRg)

26 I lol'ed at your mention of Cinema Sins because my kids used to binge watch that and Film Theory until I made them stop. Their argument for continuing Film Theory was that the (absurdly literal) premises were helping them remember science-type stuff, but there is no redeeming value to Cinema Sins in my point of view. I don't like that many movies already, so have no desire to be told why I *shouldn't* like the few I do.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 07:35 PM (uquGJ)

27 Creature from the Black Lagoon is on Svengoolie tonight. The female lead passed away just this last week. Julie something. Very pretty.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:35 PM (+Tibp)

28 Jussie's gonna go OJ.

Not suicidal police chase with helicopters aka full OJ, but he's gonna run, and try getting into rehab somewhere before they police perp walk him, and if he does, then they're gonna have to drag him out kicking and screaming.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:36 PM (I/iGu)

29 Two stop-motion movies I saw as a Kid that I still love today-

1) "Jack the Giant Killer" - the perfect young boy's movie. If you haven't seen it, you can stream it on Amazon. Love this one.

2) "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad"

Both movies star the same people.

Lots of fun.

I guess they're more or less forgotten though.

Posted by: naturalfake at February 16, 2019 07:36 PM (CRRq9)

30 Most audiences don't care, but the ones who do tend to have Youtube channels that get millions of hits complaining about little things just like that (*cough*Cinema Sins*cough*)

Okay, TJM, 'fess up. You had to like the video of the Cinema Sins guy making "Terence Malick Stew".

https://youtu.be/OgXQZvtTgi4

Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 07:36 PM (786Ro)

31 23 Creature Comforts is a great series. It's on YooToob.

Posted by: fluffy at February 16, 2019 07:33 PM (dCRRg)

--

Thanks, haven't seen that.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - Everything I Needed to Know About Coding I Learned From RBG at February 16, 2019 07:34 PM (xyung)

--Aardman pre-Wallace and Gromit.

Love it!

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:36 PM (e7oj4)

32 And It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is on TCM tonight.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:37 PM (+Tibp)

33 10 The original King Kong is still one of the greats of all time. If you've got a good story, and you have great editing, it makes up for flaws in the special effects.

Many of today's flicks are the opposite.
Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 07:28 PM (1UZdv)

As it was, and as it is, it is meant to be.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at February 16, 2019 07:37 PM (sy5kK)

34 Nigerian brothers kept the receipt for the rope purchase.

*slaps his knee*

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:37 PM (I/iGu)

35 26 I lol'ed at your mention of Cinema Sins because my kids used to binge watch that and Film Theory until I made them stop. Their argument for continuing Film Theory was that the (absurdly literal) premises were helping them remember science-type stuff, but there is no redeeming value to Cinema Sins in my point of view. I don't like that many movies already, so have no desire to be told why I *shouldn't* like the few I do.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 07:35 PM (uquGJ)

======

I watched 5 minutes of one and hated it.

It made nitpicking an art form. And it was ugly.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:38 PM (zZbCU)

36 Charlie Chaplin movies are kinda wonderful if you find any of the behind the scenes documentary footage.

Crazy awesome use of forced perspective and matte paintings.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:38 PM (I/iGu)

37 Swamp Thing. Never forget Swamp Thing and Adrienne Barbeques boobs.

Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable? at February 16, 2019 07:38 PM (JgA4k)

38 >>> --Aardman pre-Wallace and Gromit.

That is just the original short. They have since made many more.

Posted by: fluffy at February 16, 2019 07:39 PM (dCRRg)

39 30
Okay, TJM, 'fess up. You had to like the video of the Cinema Sins guy making "Terence Malick Stew".

https://youtu.be/OgXQZvtTgi4
Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 07:36 PM (786Ro

=====

I have not seen it, but I shall give it a go.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:39 PM (zZbCU)

40 Harryhausen had more brains in his little finger than most of hollyweird today.

Posted by: Eromero at February 16, 2019 07:39 PM (zLDYs)

41 Digging In the Dirt is badass.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 07:39 PM (PUmDY)

42 From Kali, the six armed goddess in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

The movie also has Tom Baker and Caroline Munro ample talents.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 07:39 PM (SiINZ)

43 28 Jussie's gonna go OJ.

Not suicidal police chase with helicopters aka full OJ, but he's gonna run, and try getting into rehab somewhere before they police perp walk him, and if he does, then they're gonna have to drag him out kicking and screaming.
Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:36 PM (I/iGu)

Jussie messed up bigtime. He already used the Spacey trick of "coming out as a gay man".

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at February 16, 2019 07:40 PM (sy5kK)

44 27 Creature from the Black Lagoon is on Svengoolie tonight. The female lead passed away just this last week. Julie something. Very pretty.
Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:35 PM (+Tibp)

--Coming full circle . . . the Shaun the Sheep episode "Bitzer from the Black Lagoon" was an homage to that classic, with Bitzer the dog covered with glop and scaring the shyte out of the sheep.

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/UVZSyVqFdlw

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:40 PM (e7oj4)

45 I like the nasty stop-motion dog monster in the 80s B-movie "I, MADMAN"

https://youtu.be/MeKnh0eV8O0?t=127

Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 07:40 PM (786Ro)

46 -
OT. Does anyone here, cobloggers, commenters, lurkers, have an automatic donation/payment to the blog set up that is working for them? I would very much like to know how to do this.
Thank you.

Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 07:41 PM (RVcmP)

47 Check this out stop-motion dinosaur fight from VotG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDJ-Y-_Dxs

This 12-minute featurette, Evolution of Cinema Dinosaurs (1920-2015) , is also fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hxSws2W0-E
Posted by: OregonMuse. AoSHQ Thought Leader & Pants Monitor at February 16, 2019 12:58 PM (ebz3G)

Those cowboys spent a lot of time riding around in circles. And that brushfire looked to be about as impassible a barrier as a bead curtain. The dinosaurs were the least improbable part of it.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 16, 2019 07:41 PM (nPGq2)

48 It made nitpicking an art form. And it was ugly.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:38 PM (zZbCU)

Exactly!

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 07:41 PM (uquGJ)

49 @43: "Jussie messed up bigtime. He already used the Spacey trick of 'coming out as a gay man'."

Maybe try living his life as a straight man or furry?

Couldn't hurt to try!

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:41 PM (I/iGu)

50 The Valley of the Gwangi was one of my very favorite movies as a kid. I recently (last couple years) bought a copy on DVD. It wasn't has good as I remembered at 6 years old, but still lots of fun!!!!

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:42 PM (2sCft)

51 watching Umbrella Academy now

KTY loves it so far

Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at February 16, 2019 07:42 PM (BJlbN)

52 Sinbad movies. Loved 'em as a kid.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 16, 2019 07:42 PM (YvUf/)

53 Cinema Sins had some good moments early on where he pointed out subtle stuff that most people hadn't noticed, but yeah, once he got into "manufacturing content" and pushing out episodes as quickly as possible, then it turned kinda snarky, petty, and mean.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (I/iGu)

54 Check out Mike Jittlov's "Wizard of Speed and Time".

Posted by: Rusty Bill at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (AGlu+)

55 The Valley of the Gwangi was one of my very favorite movies as a kid. I recently (last couple years) bought a copy on DVD. It wasn't has good as I remembered at 6 years old, but still lots of fun!!!!
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron

I loved it too. I think the new MST3K crew gave it the business.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (+Tibp)

56 When I was 6 years old, and totally mesmerized by Dinosaurs, my favorite movie of all was King Kong, because of the Tyrannosaur (pictured above)

And when I was 7 my favorite movie was Jason and the Argonauts, because of the Skeletons! They lived in my dreams forever, and I very much believe that James Cameron based his design of the Terminator (sans skin) on them.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (V2Yro)

57 I believe go-motion was created for Star Wars and was used by ILM for many movies (including some Star Trek movies). Jurassic Park used CGI for almost everything.

Posted by: MichiCanuck at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (3MPk1)

58 Always loved the Wallace and Gromit claymation movies. Funny as hell.

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (2sCft)

59 10 The original King Kong is still one of the greats of all time. If you've got a good story, and you have great editing, it makes up for flaws in the special effects.

Many of today's flicks are the opposite.
Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 07:28 PM (1UZdv)

As it was, and as it is, it is meant to be.
Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at February 16, 2019 07:37 PM (sy5kK)

And Fay Wray, the blonde who was Kong's main squeeze, grew up in the little Mormon town of Cardston, Alberta. Cardston has a statue of her downtown.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 16, 2019 07:44 PM (nPGq2)

60 I adore the old movies. My Dad would wake my brother and I up late at night to watch the original King Kong on TV WLVI38 as a tradition.

But yes, something has been lost. My brother's daughter, my niece, is into movies now. When the Peter Jackson King Kong came out, there was a re-release of the original I let her see.

To her, it was funny and silly.

I'm not MAD about that, but it's a little sad that I can still watch that Kong, or the Universal Classic Monster Movies, or any of the Harryhausen movies and be completely taken in by them anyway, and she'll never have those memories.

Thank you for letting me remember, OregonMuse -- I think I'll watch Kong tonight ...

Posted by: acethepug at February 16, 2019 07:44 PM (kybA+)

61 Nigerian brothers kept the receipt for the rope purchase.

*slaps his knee*
Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:37 PM

Mohammad Salameh also laughs.

Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 07:44 PM (zCabI)

62 The Valley of the Gwangi was one of my very favorite movies as a kid. I recently (last couple years) bought a copy on DVD. It wasn't has good as I remembered at 6 years old, but still lots of fun!!!!
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron

I loved it too. I think the new MST3K crew gave it the business.
Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (+Tibp)
++++
I still have the comic book that came out to coincide with the movie's release. Alas I didn't take very good care of my comic books for the most part.

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:45 PM (2sCft)

63 Always loved the Wallace and Gromit claymation movies. Funny as hell.
Posted by: SteveOReno
---------

Still chuckle over those.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 16, 2019 07:45 PM (Ou6XS)

64 I liked "Bird" a lot. Charlie Parker was such a talent and such a troubled man. Very sad life.

Old special effects? Metropolis.

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 07:45 PM (VDl91)

65 And when I was 7 my favorite movie was Jason and the Argonauts, because of the Skeletons! They lived in my dreams forever, and I very much believe that James Cameron based his design of the Terminator (sans skin) on them.
Posted by: Tom Servo

I think that is my favorite movie from Harryhausen. I remember the skeletons but the giant bronze Titan coming to life freaked me. Forever.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:46 PM (+Tibp)

66 CGI can be as bad as any stop-motion ever was.

Posted by: Bill Kristol, Sex Machine at February 16, 2019 07:46 PM (H7hR5)

67 "And Fay Wray, the blonde who was Kong's main squeeze"

Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 07:47 PM (1UZdv)

68 58 Always loved the Wallace and Gromit claymation movies. Funny as hell.
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:43 PM (2sCft)

--"The Wrong Trousers" never gets old. It's a little masterpiece.

I think it's still on Amazon Prime.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:47 PM (e7oj4)

69 Posted by: Bill Kristol, Sex Machine at February 16, 2019 07:46 PM (H7hR5)

++++
Now that's a funny nic....!

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:47 PM (2sCft)

70 66 CGI can be as bad as any stop-motion ever was.
Posted by: Bill Kristol, Sex Machine at February 16, 2019 07:46 PM (H7hR5)

======

I was going to mention Spawn, made just a few years later with some incredibly awful CGI, but it felt a little too off topic.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:47 PM (zZbCU)

71 Is anyone planning on seeing Battle Angel Alita? I watched the anime about ten years ago. I don't remember hating it or loving it, so am certainly not going out of my way to see a live action version.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 07:48 PM (uquGJ)

72 When I was 4 years old, I had my tonsils out and in spite of the sore throat, I thought it was awesome to spend the night in the hospital, and have a TV on the wall with my own remote (I had never seen a remote control before that) And the most memorable part of the whole event, for me, was when I was playing with the remote, and I found this incredible, fantastic film of a Giant Octopus spreading it's tentacles over San Francisco and climbing up the Golden Gate Bridge and everything! I was stunned and amazed, I had no idea movies like that existed! And thus started a lifelong love of cheesy movies, that has never lapsed.

btw, I saw an interview with Harryhausen in his later years, where he talked about that movie and said it was actually a Quintapus, since they only had the budget to make 5 arms. It's positioned in each scene so you just assume the others are there.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 07:48 PM (V2Yro)

73 We watched In Order Of Disappearance which was recd here recently

kinda like a Finnish Fargo

Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at February 16, 2019 07:48 PM (BJlbN)

74 Cleopatra and her twin babs coming on US Movie.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 07:48 PM (ePWRo)

75 I loved Clash of the Titans as a little girl. Medusa's appearance was scary.

Posted by: jmel at February 16, 2019 07:49 PM (OeWgo)

76 Don't forget Celebrity Deathmatch!

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:49 PM (I/iGu)

77 I guess Cold Pursuit is the American remake of In Order of Disappearance.

It was funny.

Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (ZfRYq)

78 watching Umbrella Academy now
---
Is that based on the Carriger novels?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (kQs4Y)

79
Harryhausen! O'Brien! Great stuff.

Posted by: otho at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (LkFnL)

80 Sinbad still shows up on broadcast TV on occasion and gives me the creeps - you're exactly right that it's the choppiness in movement that makes it so.

Watching that cone heads clip, was that a full length film? I recall the SNL skits way back and never understood all the laughter. There are times I do wish I could join in genuinely. But it's rare that I laugh out loud in sitcom laugh track style, if ever. Are there others here similar? Just curious. I love great comedy, ie, Seinfeld, Burr, Chappell, Regan, et al so it's not like I'm tough to please.

Posted by: Mike Mitch at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (TRRTo)

81 OT. Does anyone here, cobloggers, commenters, lurkers, have an automatic donation/payment to the blog set up that is working for them? I would very much like to know how to do this.
Thank you.
Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 07:41 PM
~~~~~

Hi irright. There's a Paypal button in the leflthand column, near the top.

Posted by: IrishEi at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (NtglE)

82 I thought Cold Pursuit would be Taken 4. Yes, it's funny.

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 07:51 PM (1UZdv)

83 https://mobile.twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1096919646207381513

Posted by: Russian Twitter Bot at February 16, 2019 07:51 PM (uLmu8)

84 one of several stop motion scenes in Flesh Gordon:

Flesh: My god! What are they, Doc?
Dr. Flexi Jerkoff: Hmmm , some species of Penisaurus, I should think.

Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 07:51 PM (n27wi)

85 And the most memorable part of the whole event, for me, was when I was playing with the remote, and I found this incredible, fantastic film of a Giant Octopus spreading it's tentacles over San Francisco and climbing up the Golden Gate Bridge and everything! I was stunned and amazed, I had no idea movies like that existed! And thus started a lifelong love of cheesy movies, that has never lapsed.
++++++
I believe that was "It Came from Beneath the Sea". I loved that too and still relish wasting an eveing on a bad movie. Love all teh Japanese monster movies. And Gamera, the Flying Turtle, never gets old. He's the friend of all children, for God's sakes.

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:51 PM (2sCft)

86 Posted by: jmel at February 16, 2019 07:49 PM (OeWgo)

I still have a soft-spot in my heart-shaped place for that movie. I know it's sad but I *liked* the little owl-bot. Of course I liked ewoks too, so make of that what you will.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 07:52 PM (uquGJ)

87 Robot Chicken is great shit.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at February 16, 2019 07:52 PM (/fJWB)

88 George Washington vs. Gamera

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 07:52 PM (LX21o)

89 The SE in "Green Dolphin Street" were pretty cool for the late 40's. Can't remember if it was an earthquake or some other disaster but it was handled pretty well.

Plus it had Linda Christian , a forgotten hottie and a SE all her own

Posted by: REDACTED at February 16, 2019 07:52 PM (RZ6R1)

90 77 I guess Cold Pursuit is the American remake of In Order of Disappearance.

It was funny.
Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (ZfRYq)

--So, hearty recommendation for the Morons?

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (e7oj4)

91 Some stop-motion animation can be frighteningly lifelike:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCe5TlVduvY

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (kQs4Y)

92 When Kong came out in 1931, I don't think *anything* like that had been tried in a major film before - there had been some stop motion, but it was amateurish, low budget, and used mainly for comedy. It had the same impact on audiences of its day as "Star Wars" did in 1977, it was a huge technological leap. And it took almost 20 years before any other film even came close to equaling it.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (V2Yro)

93 Hi irright. There's a Paypal button in the leflthand column, near the top.

Posted by: IrishEi at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM (NtglE)

Just did that, but saw no option for recurrent payments, so I paid a year in advance

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (f3oO4)

94 @83: "CNN Tweet"

The police superintendent spokesman who's been all weird about insisting that Jussie was still considered a victim said something in the last hour like the "trajectory of the investigation has shifted," so it's beginning to feel like end game.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (I/iGu)

95 Yes a hearty recommendation for Cold Pursuit for morons.

Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (ZfRYq)

96 Loved the original Clash of the Titans, and you can see a lot of the Ymir from Five Million Miles to Earth in the Kraken.

So many great memories, thanks for making me smile. It's been a tough February, but this thread has done a lot to counter that.

God Bless you all.

Posted by: acethepug at February 16, 2019 07:55 PM (kybA+)

97 one of several stop motion scenes in Flesh Gordon:

Flesh: My god! What are they, Doc?
Dr. Flexi Jerkoff: Hmmm , some species of Penisaurus, I should think.
Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 07:51 PM (n27wi)
+++++
Oh, No. Flesh Gordon. That takes me back to a steamed up windows in a 1968 Toyota Corona parked at the El Dorado Drive in Reno, NV, during my high school years. Quite the make out session that night as I remember it....

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:55 PM (2sCft)

98 Hacksaw Ridge coming on History.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:55 PM (e7oj4)

99 You really can't dismiss the quality of "Go Motion" animation until you look at "Dragonslayer."

Posted by: MW at February 16, 2019 07:56 PM (hNTtn)

100 Well if Jussie was worried about being written out of Empire before, he no longer has that as his primary concern. He has OTHER concerns now. Well done, stupid.

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 07:56 PM (VDl91)

101 Took a voyage to the bottom of the Prime films and came up with Six String Samurai. Russian rockabillies Red Elvis figure prominently.

Also Julie Adams was who passed away last week. Starred in Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:56 PM (+Tibp)

102 Jussie's noose rope? Where was it purchased?

The Crafty Beaver!

https://twitter.com/CharlieDeMar/status/1096933982481117184

You really can't make some of this stuff up.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:57 PM (I/iGu)

103 Blutarski, IAMMMMW is coming on right now.

Posted by: Eromero at February 16, 2019 07:57 PM (zLDYs)

104
Those Ray Harryhausen movies were fun. Sure the special effects looked like table top models but the stories had tons of imagination and creativity. Jason and the Argonauts was a good one. It had the gorgeous Nancy Kovak, Honor (Pussy Galore) Blackman and Patrick Troughton.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (SiINZ)

105 And they bought plain red hats at a beauty store 'cause they didn't know to find any real MAGA hats in that part of Chicago on such short notice.

*facepalms*

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (I/iGu)

106 Oooooo, Hacksaw Ridge opens with the Blue Ridge.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (e7oj4)

107 Jurassic Park go motion test:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c1IaR4RCZ2I

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (zZbCU)

108 *know where

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (I/iGu)

109 98 Hacksaw Ridge coming on History.
Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:55 PM (e7oj4)

never have watched it but it does have Rachel Griffiths in it, one of the real greats

Posted by: REDACTED at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (RZ6R1)

110 Fay Wray was quite the looker in her day!

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (2sCft)

111
The police superintendent spokesman who's been all
weird about insisting that Jussie was still considered a victim said
something in the last hour like the "trajectory of the investigation has
shifted," so it's beginning to feel like end game.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:54 PM (I/iGu

=====

I hunted down some celebutard Jussie-defenders on Twitter and called one of them a racist bimbo and got a 12-hour timeout. As soon as I'm back on I'm going to ask her whether it was the "racist" or the "bimbo" that offended her. I'm not sure who reported me, but I may as well lay it on her, the racist bimbo.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (13CQC)

112 Jussie will be fine. Possibly will be better than he was. Publicity, possible book deals, CNN contracts, etc,

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (LX21o)

113 I liked Hacksaw Ridge, sister, dad and me went to see it at the theater.

I get a kick out of the stop action Lego movies on YouTube, someone is putting time into them.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (/rm4P)

114 Jessie was being fired, why else would he have concocted his unbelievable story?

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (PUmDY)

115 There's several Sinbads, some of the effects are quite good - but one of them has an ending (can't recall which one) where Sinbad has to fight this giant puffed up hand/fist that is trying to squash him, and that whole sequence is so comical that I have to bust out laughing whenever I see it. It looks right out of an Ed Wood movie.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (V2Yro)

116 @107: "Jurassic Park go motion test"

Gotta love the top comment that says best Robot Chicken episode ever.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (I/iGu)

117 Blutarski, IAMMMMW is coming on right now.
Posted by: Eromero

I'm there now . Thanks for the heads up.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:59 PM (+Tibp)

118 Hacksaw Ridge.

There was a thing yesterday about Christians in movies?

There you go.

Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 08:00 PM (ZfRYq)

119 test

Posted by: naturalfake at February 16, 2019 08:00 PM (CRRq9)

120 the cops were probably suspicious when they showed up at poosies and he still had the rope around his neck

Dude, no word

Posted by: REDACTED at February 16, 2019 08:01 PM (RZ6R1)

121
One of the ways of making stop-motion smoother that was discovered I believe AFTER Ray Harryhausen was slightly blurring each individual frame. I wonder if anyone's taken any of his sequences and done that.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at February 16, 2019 08:01 PM (13CQC)

122 Sinbad "the comedian" is not good.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:01 PM (PUmDY)

123 109 98 Hacksaw Ridge coming on History.
Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 07:55 PM (e7oj4)

never have watched it but it does have Rachel Griffiths in it, one of the real greats
Posted by: REDACTED at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (RZ6R1)

--Me neither. Watching for the first time.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:01 PM (e7oj4)

124 I really liked Hacksaw Ridge. My wife grew up Seventh Day Adventist, like the protaganist and wanted to see it. She ususally doesn't like movies with lots of suspense or graphic gore, but she loved it. But she also loved American Sniper. Mrs. OReno always keeps me guessing...

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:01 PM (2sCft)

125 -
--
OT. Does anyone here, cobloggers, commenters,
lurkers, have an automatic donation/payment to the blog set up that is
working for them? I would very much like to know how to do this.

Thank you.

Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 07:41 PM

~~~~~

Hi irright. There's a Paypal button in the leflthand column, near the top.

Posted by: IrishEi at February 16, 2019 07:50 PM

-------------------------------

Absolutely. I have use it several times (including minutes ago) and encourage ALL who enjoy this site to do likewise.

However, I wish to have an automatic monthly payment sent.

If anyone who reads this has a method that is currently working for them, PLEASE let me know how.

Thanks. (and sorry for the OT)

Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (RVcmP)

126 Only thing I question in HR was in 1943 the army still hated and had no idea what to do with objectors?

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (/rm4P)

127 I liked "Isle of Dogs", which was stop-motion but with some green screen stuff too, I think. And "Wallace and Grommet" too. I'd never have the patience to do that stuff, even if I had the talent.

Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (786Ro)

128 118 Hacksaw Ridge.

There was a thing yesterday about Christians in movies?

There you go.
Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 08:00 PM (ZfRYq)

--Indeed

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (e7oj4)

129 The police superintendent spokesman who's been all
weird about insisting that Jussie was still considered a victim said something in the last hour like the "trajectory of the investigation has shifted," so it's beginning to feel like end game."

The release of the Nigerian bros doesn't surprise me - I was wondering here yesterday what actual crime they could be charged with, since they never made any police reports - conducting an attack that never happened? It looks to me like all they had to do to get less was to say, on the record, that yes, they were there, they gave Smollett some stuff he asked for and they left. No crime at all, at least not on their part.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (V2Yro)

130 Isn't that what Prince was?

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (PUmDY)

131 36
Charlie Chaplin movies are kinda wonderful if you find any of the behind the scenes documentary footage.

There's a fascinating doc called "Unknown Chaplin", IIRC, that's composed of Chaplin outtakes. Only they aren't really outakes. Chaplin basically filmed himself 'writing' the story. So there are scenes where, for example, the first ten takes have Chaplin playing the hospital orderly, but takes 11 onwards have him playing the patient. He realized that role had more potential. You see mistakes in takes (a cane gets caught in a revolving door, ruining the take), but in the next takes it's part of the script. In "The Immigrant", the restaurant scene was supposed to be the first scene. But as they're developing it, Chaplin realized, no, this should be the last scene. And he goes on to film the story that leads up to the restaurant scene. Fascinating.

Posted by: Vertov at February 16, 2019 08:03 PM (98pFy)

132 126 Only thing I question in HR was in 1943 the army still hated and had no idea what to do with objectors?
Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:02 PM (/rm4P

=====

An objector that also wanted to serve but not carry a gun. That's gotta be pretty specific.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:03 PM (zZbCU)

133 There's supposed to be a program tomorrow about the Wichita serial killer BTK tomorrow. I can't find it. Does anyone know what channel?

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 08:04 PM (+Tibp)

134 114 Jessie was being fired, why else would he have concocted his unbelievable story?
Posted by: Cosmic Charlie

Jussie will be written out of Empire like Poochie was in The Simpsons.

https://youtu.be/4tvAjX5ACPo

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 08:04 PM (VDl91)

135 I think Harryhausen did the stop-action in

"First Men in the Moon"

for the insectoid moon creatures.

Very fun Saturday afternoon movie if you've never seen it.

Give it a whirl.

Posted by: naturalfake at February 16, 2019 08:04 PM (CRRq9)

136 Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 07:58 PM (I/iGu)

Why in God's good name did they bother to buy all those things when they never filmed the "attack"?! Or did Jussie manage to find the *one* un-taped spot accidentally?

Were they the two guys on camera walking *out* of the area a while before the "attack"? If so, how could any one tell since they just looked like silhouettes (although I said that, based on -posture, maybe?- I didn't think the guys on tape were white).

Completely besides the point, those brothers are *ridiculously* buff.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 08:04 PM (uquGJ)

137 "In Darkness," another gut-wrenching film about WWII. In Lvov, a sewer worker protects Jews from slaughter for months, hiding them below the streets. True story, horrifying. Well worth your time. Not for kids.

"Gosnell," no graphic visuals, but the story shocked me.

Not by Gosnell's crimes, which I was already aware of, but the exposition of the shocking things that ARE legal, and are just as grotesque as Gosnell's illegal work.

In a nutshell: As long as you kill the baby while it's inside mom, you're legal. Inject potassium chloride, crush the skull, vacuum the brain, whatever it takes to kill the kid _before_ it comes out of the birth canal, you're in the clear.

That's our society's distinction between honorable "women's reproductive health service" and despicable "murder." A real eye-opener for me.

"Gosnell" also shows the pushback you get from the bureaucracy and its loyal footsoldiers if you knock abortion.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:04 PM (mk9aG)

138 Ah, Lynchburg.

Pretty setting for a town, even if the name is full of Hate Sauce.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:05 PM (e7oj4)

139 Saw " The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" by the Coen Bros.

Eh. It's a lesser Coen Bros. flick.

One of their life is absurd and meaningless movies.

"Barton Fink" was the best of these. "A Serious Man" second best.

I'd put "TBoBs" as a distant 3rd.

Posted by: naturalfake at February 16, 2019 08:05 PM (CRRq9)

140 I hope the bachelorette party doesn't start too late tonight...

Posted by: lin-duh at February 16, 2019 08:05 PM (kufk0)

141 Julie Adams was such a pretty lady.

Posted by: Bill Kristol, Sex Machine at February 16, 2019 08:06 PM (H7hR5)

142 Chicken Run is one of my favorite movies.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 08:06 PM (u82oZ)

143 It's interesting to consider that Gosnell probably wouldn't even be prosecuted in some states now.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:06 PM (LX21o)

144 I really liked the Amazing Mr Fox for stop-action. I think it's on Prime.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 08:07 PM (+Tibp)

145 An objector that also wanted to serve but not carry a gun. That's gotta be pretty specific.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019

+++++
I believe they covered that in the movie. Being Seventh Day Adventist, the Protaganist takes all of the Ten Commandents as being inviolable, include the command thou shalt not kill. That's why they insist on keeping the Sabbath on Saturday. My wife and I still argue about this, civilly of cours. But she's adamant that God never changed the Sabbath. But that for another thread...

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:07 PM (2sCft)

146 If we made a mirror image ace site we would be much better at faking as Lefties than they are in our universe.

Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 08:07 PM (ZfRYq)

147 32 And It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is on TCM tonight.
Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 07:37 PM (+Tibp)
------
One of my Faves!

Posted by: Weasel at February 16, 2019 08:08 PM (MVjcR)

148 But by 1943 medics were fairly prized by units seems to me not pariahs to get wet blanket parties. Nevertheless its a good movie and true story which beats fiction in my war movies.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:08 PM (/rm4P)

149 We started Watching KINGDOM on netflix, I really think that better shows are being made outside of Hollywood because they really don't cater to the PC crap, just story driven. I like this Drama, very well done period piece with some Fantasy or SC-Fi thrown in. The Prince is about to maybe lose his place on the thrown and Why can't he see the King? is he really sick or Dead and the power plays of the New Queen, with her Clan are making a move for the thrown keeping the Prince away. Then a new plague begins, very well done show.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:08 PM (2PhlL)

150 @136: "Completely besides the point, those brothers are *ridiculously* buff."

I joked yesterday that they were so comically buff that: a) under ski masks, hoodies, puffy jackets, etc., no one could have honesty thought they were white dudebros 'cause they're just way too fucking big; b) if it was a genuine attack, and given only sixty seconds, then Jussie should have been broken in half, not barely scratched.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:08 PM (I/iGu)

151 Pee Wee Herman did did some pretty good stop-action animations in his movies.

Remember Large Marge?

Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 16, 2019 08:09 PM (2zFt4)

152 I sort of remember a lot of stop motion in the Saturday morning Pee-Wee TV show. Lots of weird stuff, too.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:10 PM (LX21o)

153 Beat me!

Posted by: Jussie Smollett, Future Trivia Question at February 16, 2019 08:10 PM (H7hR5)

154 135
I think Harryhausen did the stop-action in

"First Men in the Moon"

for the insectoid moon creatures.

Very fun Saturday afternoon movie if you've never seen it.

Give it a whirl.

Posted by: naturalfake

Heh. The other day some 'ette in here mentioned seeing "First Man" about the moon landing, and was discussing it, and for about five minutes I was thinking she meant "First Men in the Moon". It made her comments - interesting.

Posted by: Vertov at February 16, 2019 08:11 PM (98pFy)

155 It's funny how Pee-Wee Herman's transgressions seem almost quaint nowadays.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:11 PM (LX21o)

156 I saw Alita and liked it a lot. It compares favorably with Wonder Woman, if you get beyond the whole Gal Gadot is really, really beautiful thing.

Posted by: NCC at February 16, 2019 08:11 PM (tLoaY)

157 The best special effects in a movie were in Knowing. The airplane crash and the car crash at the end. On first viewing they look totally realistic and unlike anything before seen on screen. The car crash scene at the end, specifically, is realistic to a fault.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:12 PM (vP+yw)

158 Pee Wee Herman did did some pretty good stop-action animations in his movies.
++++
Pee Wee Herman should have done some STOP-ACTION on his own self abuse in those adult theaters he frequented. IYKWIMAITYD.

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:12 PM (2sCft)

159 I like being old enough that I thought Wonder Woman was cute but her mom was the hottie.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:12 PM (LX21o)

160 148 But by 1943 medics were fairly prized by units seems to me not pariahs to get wet blanket parties. Nevertheless its a good movie and true story which beats fiction in my war movies.
Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:08 PM (/rm4P)

If you watch the Documentary on him one of the guys in the unit apologized for his treatment of him and the guy said he hopes that he could forgive him. You have to understand these guys thought they would be invading Japan and you had to count on everybody. I think that the Medic's in the Pacific were armed because the Japs would target them

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:13 PM (2PhlL)

161 '"A Serious Man" second best.' Really good movie. Rewards multiple viewings, as they say. Stuhlbarg is a wonderful actor; I like all his stuff.

One thing I forgot to say about Gosnell: Dean Cain turned into a big fat Mexican-looking guy. Still good looking and affable, but not Superman anymore.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:13 PM (mk9aG)

162 Admiral Schofield is a great name.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:13 PM (PUmDY)

163 142 Chicken Run is one of my favorite movies.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 08:06 PM (u82oZ)

--Yes. It also helps to be an Ab Fab fan.

Heh, another Mel Gibson movie gets a mention.

But first . . .

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (e7oj4)

164 157 The best special effects in a movie were in Knowing. The airplane crash and the car crash at the end. On first viewing they look totally realistic and unlike anything before seen on screen. The car crash scene at the end, specifically, is realistic to a fault.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:12 PM (vP+yw)
--------
Agreed. I don't recall the car crash so much but the plane? Wow.

Posted by: Weasel at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (MVjcR)

165 Khartoum Full Review (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "It's thin, razor thin, and assembled so poorly that I was exasperated through the entire movie, desperate for anything to actually grab onto except the occasionally sumptuous desert vistas."

Khartoum was awesome. A very well made movie.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (vP+yw)

166 RIP Bruno Ganz. If you haven't seen Downfall yet, put it on your list. I've watched it probably ten times.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:15 PM (mk9aG)

167 this is a good place to put in a plug for a future Movie Thread Topic - Pam Grier Movies! Was in the move for a cheesy movie this week, so I watched "The Big Bird Cage".

Totally exploitative and cheesy in every way - and still more entertaining than anything that's available in any theater today!

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 08:15 PM (V2Yro)

168 Earth VS The Flying Saucers, I still think does a good job of split screen with stop motion.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:15 PM (2PhlL)

169 Chicken Run! Been trying to remember the name of that movie since everyone was talking about claymation

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:15 PM (/rm4P)

170 Pee Wee Herman should have done some STOP-ACTION on his own self abuse in those adult theaters he frequented. IYKWIMAITYD.
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:12 PM (2sCft)

--Pee Wee's favorite teams were the Expos and the Yankees.

(Damn, hadn't had a chance to tell that joke in decades.)

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (e7oj4)

171 165 Khartoum was awesome. A very well made movie.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (vP+yw)

=====

Looks good, but is actually pretty terrible.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (zZbCU)

172 Watching Heat for the umpteenth time. This one and Collateral I really enjoy. Seems like Mann hasn't done a decent film since.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (H5knJ)

173 RIP Bruno Ganz. If you haven't seen Downfall yet, put it on your list. I've watched it probably ten times.
Posted by: gp

I think I saw that Patrick Caddell passed away also. Only 68.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (+Tibp)

174 It's interesting to consider that Gosnell probably wouldn't even be prosecuted in some states now.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:06 PM (LX21o)

I thought I heard Gosnell was being considered for a Citizen of the Year Award in New York!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 08:17 PM (f3oO4)

175 By Saturday evening, however, Chicago police said they were "eager to speak to Jussie Smollett" after the interrogation of the Osundairo brothers.

"We have been in touch with Smollett's attorneys," said Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told ABC News.

Oh dear, hasn't poor Jussie been through enough already?!?!

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:17 PM (SiINZ)

176
Khartoum was awesome. A very well made movie.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (vP+yw)

A movie that could not be made today, I enjoyed it and I really need to read a book on the Chinese Gordon's life.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:17 PM (2PhlL)

177 I'm pretty sure I saw Chicken Run in theaters back in the day.

Wiki says they announced a sequel in development last year.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:17 PM (I/iGu)

178 169 Chicken Run! Been trying to remember the name of that movie since everyone was talking about claymation
Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:15 PM (/rm4P)

--Also made by Aardman Studios

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:18 PM (e7oj4)

179 Had to come out of lurker suspended animation to praise this thread! Love Harryhausen's work, Kong and the wonderfully silly Kaiju movies.

Posted by: RovingCopyEditor at February 16, 2019 08:18 PM (VqdUc)

180 Looks good, but is actually pretty terrible.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today!

I've often wondered it is historically accurate. When it came out my friends and I quit playing cowboys and indians for about a week and played cowboys and muslims.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (+Tibp)

181 172 Watching Heat for the umpteenth time. This one and Collateral I really enjoy. Seems like Mann hasn't done a decent film since.
Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (H5knJ)

--The Miami Vice movie was okay. But then I think Gong Li is smokin'.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (e7oj4)

182 I believe they covered that in the movie. Being Seventh Day Adventist, the Protaganist takes all of the Ten Commandents as being inviolable, include the command thou shalt not kill. That's why they insist on keeping the Sabbath on Saturday. My wife and I still argue about this, civilly of cours. But she's adamant that God never changed the Sabbath. But that for another thread...
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:07 PM (2sCft)

As a ute, I spent one year (4th grade) in a Seven Day Adventurer skool. The skool was run by a husband and wife who did a good job of teaching history and one week we got to listen to the husband read us the story of the Hacksaw Ridge guy. The Husband was a Guadalcanal vet (Army) and he was very on point and gave us a good history lesson.

Found out later he got canned for zooming or trying to zoom the other Seven Day Adventurer's wives and for drinking booze but such is the human condition.

When I returned to a government skool a year later, they had no record of me being enrolled anywhere for my 4th grade but let me slide as government flunkies do.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (Z+IKu)

183 The Japanese before the outbreak of World War II made two King Kong movies. Neither movie survives intact, only a few stills are left to tantalize audiences.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (tFXr6)

184 This is a movie you may want to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBiaVap_Ngs

"Hoaxed" produced by Mike Cernovich and promoted heavily by Stefan Molyneux.

Posted by: Slapweasel at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (Ckg4U)

185 I'm watching the RLM guys discuss the excellent but oft overlooked ZAZ movie "Top Secret".

I think the ZAZ riffs belong to a certain era just like my beloved childhood MAD Magazines do. ZAZ movies poked fun at the stolid old Hollywood movies shown on the late night t.v. of my youth, just like MAD made sport of hokey unironic Establishment culture.

Now everything is hip and snarky in Establishment entertainment. How do you puncture irony?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 08:20 PM (kQs4Y)

186 180
I've often wondered it is historically accurate. When it came out my friends and I quit playing cowboys and indians for about a week and played cowboys and muslims.
Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (+Tibp

=====

In the movie Gordon and the Mahdi meet twice, but they never actually met. So there's that.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:20 PM (zZbCU)

187 "Seems like Mann hasn't done a decent film since." Give Miami Vice a try. I like it a lot. In this one, he seems to have used the first take of every shot, so you get to see actors handling their line flubs. Skip the unnecessary 20 minute Li Gong Cuba Love Tryst in the middle of the movie. Good firefight in final act, if that's what you dig. It's a love letter to Miami, in the same way Heat is a love letter to LA.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:20 PM (mk9aG)

188 "Everything in Peter Jackson's fantasy feels like it came from a real time and place, long ago, and it works there..."
Then they did the Hobbit. And I wept.

Posted by: I like cookies at February 16, 2019 08:20 PM (xxAFD)

189 Looks good, but is actually pretty terrible.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (zZbCU)

I'm going to have to violently disagree with you on this one. Khartoum is one of the best movies made, one of Heston's very best roles, great dialogue about British politics and just generally well done. And even though his brown face was kind of funny, Olivier did a fantastic job as the crazy Mahdi. I think that was the second best arab portrayal - second to topol's fantastic portrayal of a local arab sheik in Cast a Giant Shadow (also one of the greatest movies, ever).

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:21 PM (vP+yw)

190 -Pee Wee's favorite teams were the Expos and the Yankees.

(Damn, hadn't had a chance to tell that joke in decades.)
Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:16 PM (e7oj4)

+++++
logprof, well played. I did a symbolic knee-slap and hearty guffaw in your honor.

Off topic but here's and oldie you may or may not get. After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster:

Q: What do the NASA engineers, Tylenol's manufacturer and a male walrus all have in common?
A: They're all looking for a tight seal.

***rimshot!***

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:22 PM (2sCft)

191 I do think it's funny that the Broadway production is using a black lead for King Kong. The whole point of them kidnapping Fay Wray is that the Islanders have never seen a white woman before and what to use her in hopes that Kong will finally be appeased

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:22 PM (2PhlL)

192 187 "Seems like Mann hasn't done a decent film since." Give Miami Vice a try. I like it a lot. In this one, he seems to have used the first take of every shot, so you get to see actors handling their line flubs. Skip the unnecessary 20 minute Li Gong Cuba Love Tryst in the middle of the movie. Good firefight in final act, if that's what you dig. It's a love letter to Miami, in the same way Heat is a love letter to LA.
Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:20 PM (mk9aG)

======

It always felt like a first draft script to me. They rushed theproduction because of the success of Collateral.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:22 PM (zZbCU)

193
remember R.O.T.O.R.?

Posted by: soothsayerwing plover at February 16, 2019 08:22 PM (VBaXf)

194 Khartoum Full Review (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "It's thin, razor thin, and assembled so poorly that I was exasperated through the entire movie, desperate for anything to actually grab onto except the occasionally sumptuous desert vistas."

Khartoum was awesome. A very well made movie.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (vP+yw)

It was made on the heels of Zulu. It has some very good acting. I liked Ralph Richardson as Gladstone and Richard Johnson was good, but Chuck struggles with his accent at times. The movie overall is good but drags at times.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:23 PM (SiINZ)

195 are any lampoons made anymore?

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:23 PM (PUmDY)

196 Regarding unrealistic stop-motion technique:

With stage plays, if there's a not-too-interruptive glitch with a prop, a flubbed line, some small error of timing, the audience forgives and forgets, because they're being entertained by following the story being portrayed; nit-picking the realism of the portrayal mitigates against the enjoyment. That carried into the silver screen. At first.

We might not be so forgiving with big-budget big-screen big-studio big-realism blockbusters now, but at least on YouTube level low-budget, producers can still be granted some slack.

Go get a small pad of paper. Draw consecutive stick figures in the bottom corner. Flip and enjoy.

I like it when Cinema Sins takes back sins for something good in a movie.

Posted by: mindful webworker's unasked for intrusion at February 16, 2019 08:23 PM (Kvnw4)

197
I've often wondered it is historically accurate. When it came out my friends and I quit playing cowboys and indians for about a week and played cowboys and muslims.
Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 08:19 PM (+Tibp)

They didn't meet but they did exchange letters.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:24 PM (2PhlL)

198 Khartoum Full Review (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "It's thin, razor thin, and assembled so poorly that I was exasperated through the entire movie, desperate for anything to actually grab onto except the occasionally sumptuous desert vistas."

Khartoum was awesome. A very well made movie.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:14 PM (vP+yw)

Did they show the muslims parading around with Chinese Gordon's severed head?

It's a 5(?) second scene that was in the original but I've read that they censor that scene these days.

Posted by: naturalfake at February 16, 2019 08:24 PM (CRRq9)

199 Saw a complete ripoff of Heat recently, forget the name. Same kind of robber crew, same M.O.s, even some of the same shooting locations as Heat! I didn't see a Mann-patented shot of a guy running down a staircase, but it must be in there somewhere. Total ripoff, or maybe they call it "homage."

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:25 PM (mk9aG)

200 189
I'm going to have to violently disagree with you on this one. Khartoum is one of the best movies made, one of Heston's very best roles, great dialogue about British politics and just generally well done. And even though his brown face was kind of funny, Olivier did a fantastic job as the crazy Mahdi. I think that was the second best arab portrayal - second to topol's fantastic portrayal of a local arab sheik in Cast a Giant Shadow (also one of the greatest movies, ever).
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:21 PM (vP+yw)

=====

Everything, especially the politics is way underexplained. There's no real sense of the larger picture of the conflict. Scenes are constantly cut short, and characters barely exist beyond their function for the plot.

Sorry, I just could not get into it. It's shoddily made and poorly written.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:25 PM (zZbCU)

201
Q: What's worse than rollerball?

A: Movies about rollerball.

Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 08:26 PM (VBaXf)

202 'Khartoum' was pretty good. The various takes of "The Four Feathers" makes for a nice contrast for the time period. Makes me want to read Churchill's "The River War". Another Charlton Heston period piece I enjoyed was "El Cid".

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 08:27 PM (Pqytn)

203 Any Moron's or 'Ettes a fan of the original Death Race 2000?

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:27 PM (2sCft)

204 I liked the arcade game.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:27 PM (PUmDY)

205 Q: What do the NASA engineers, Tylenol's manufacturer and a male walrus all have in common?
A: They're all looking for a tight seal.

***rimshot!***

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:22 PM (2sCft)

--Q: What do Lenny Bias and Rock Hudson have in common?

A: They both got hold of some bad crack.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (e7oj4)

206 It was made on the heels of Zulu. It has some very good acting. I liked Ralph Richardson as Gladstone and Richard Johnson was good, but Chuck struggles with his accent at times. The movie overall is good but drags at times."

Khartoum was one of that series of movies where Heston's part was "look! I'm the famous hero who dies at the end!!!" (stared with El Seed, I think)

And then came Planet of the Apes, and Omega Man, and Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and now Look! I'm the sci-fi star who always dies at the end!!! he was the Sean Bean of his era.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (V2Yro)

207 Saw a complete ripoff of Heat recently, forget the name.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:25 PM (mk9aG)

Ha! I saw that and thought the exact same thing!

It was Den of Thieves, with Gerard Butler. A total rip-off of Heat. Almost a tribute-movie.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (vP+yw)

208 I can't remember but there were a couple of movies that used the scenes from the Airport films and made an entirely new movies, one had IceT in it. I thought somebody changed the channel when the airport 77 footage was used.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (2PhlL)

209
OT:

Just learned that pundit/pollster Pat Cadell has died. See the sidebar.

RIP

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (zBaqJ)

210
Why in God's good name did they bother to buy all those things when they never filmed the "attack"?! Or did Jussie manage to find the *one* un-taped spot accidentally?

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 16, 2019 08:04 PM (uquG

=====

It's going to be fun finding out.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (13CQC)

211
The most interesting and memorable thing about R.O.T.O.R. is the lead actor's voice and speech patterns.

Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 08:29 PM (VBaXf)

212 I like it when Cinema Sins takes back sins for something good in a movie.
Posted by: mindful webworker's unasked for intrusion at February 16, 2019 08:23 PM (Kvnw4)

--Isn't Cinema Sins the new Senator from Arizona?

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:29 PM (e7oj4)

213 @185: "I'm watching the RLM guys ..."

Twitter and social media has convinced people that they need to be funny too, so everyone thinks they're a comedian now, and as such, almost all "comedy" is nothing but snark and pop culture references.

If you try deadpanning around most people these days, they won't get it, they'll think you're making fun of THEM for some reason, and they'll tell friends that you're strange, autistic, and weird.

Smart comedy is hard.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:29 PM (I/iGu)

214
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

First saw it on Saturday night TV on a local channel when I was a kid. Actually scared the crap out of me.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 08:30 PM (juqNl)

215 I haven't see Death Race, but I do love Paul Bartel and Mary Waronov's "Eating Raoul" and "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills". In the latter, Paul played a chubby Hollywood "thinologist".

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 08:30 PM (kQs4Y)

216 203 Any Moron's or 'Ettes a fan of the original Death Race 2000?
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:27 PM (2sCft)

Yes, who hasn't said 10 points at some random person when driving with friends

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:30 PM (2PhlL)

217 Rollerball is a great movie

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:30 PM (/rm4P)

218 Just learned that pundit/pollster Pat Cadell has died. See the sidebar.

RIP

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (zBaqJ)
++++
That is too bad. I always like him for his common sense and decency, especially as an old school Democrat.

My daughter always referred to him as " that guy on Fox News that looks like a muppet". I couldn't disagree with her. He will be missed as a voice of moderation in increasingly crazy times.

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:31 PM (2sCft)

219 Oh wow, I forgot about "Custody," a French film about a divorced couple fighting, using their kid as the middleman punching bag. Very good movie, very realistic. I went thru a milder version of this sh!t myself as a kid, and it rings true.

And the second season of "The Deuce" was very engaging. David Simon is a leftist jerk, but as in "The Wire," truths manage to slip into his scripts despite his prejudices. Lots of penises on display, if you dig em.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:31 PM (mk9aG)

220 @199: "Saw a complete ripoff of Heat recently, forget the name."

Ben Affleck starred in and directed The Town which was a Boston loving "let's rob Fenway" movie similar to Heat.

So much so that in the extended cut, there's actually a scene of Affleck's character sitting in a recliner, drinking beer, and watching Heat.

Truly, a homage.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:31 PM (I/iGu)

221 Confirming that the twin babs are accompanied by a pair of sweet cheeks.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 08:31 PM (ePWRo)

222 RLM's Nerd Crew is the best satire

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at February 16, 2019 08:32 PM (2PhlL)

223 218 Just learned that pundit/pollster Pat Cadell has died. See the sidebar.

RIP

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (zBaqJ)

--He will be missed. loved his analysis on FNC.

Speaking of sidebar:

Regular Morons Shibumi and Bozo Conservative are tying the knot on Friday February 22nd.

--Congrats, you two!!!

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:32 PM (e7oj4)

224 I haven't see Death Race, but I do love Paul Bartel and Mary Waronov's "Eating Raoul" and "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills". In the latter, Paul played a chubby Hollywood "thinologist".
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 08:30 PM (kQs4Y)
+++++
Loved "Eating Raoul" . Haven't thought of that in years. Saw it in college at a little art house theater that is long gone.

Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:32 PM (2sCft)

225 Everything, especially the politics is way underexplained. There's no real sense of the larger picture of the conflict. Scenes are constantly cut short, and characters barely exist beyond their function for the plot.

Sorry, I just could not get into it. It's shoddily made and poorly written.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:25 PM (zZbCU)

I thought it explained everything just right, was well-written and very well made.

There must be something more to your criticism. Did Charleton Heston run over your dog or something?

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:33 PM (vP+yw)

226 OT
I am mid book in Kurt's 'Militant Normals' and I can barely contain my anger enough to prevent rage stroking. This is nearly as anger pricking for me as reading Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense'.

Question:. How does the 'elite' segment convince themselves they are correct in the face of all evidence?

I gotta take a heart pulse and pressure break from this page Turner or I'll rage-stroke out.

So, what the fvck up Horde?

Posted by: BifBewalski -sofa king we Todd did at February 16, 2019 08:33 PM (8ZeGS)

227 'Khartoum' was pretty good. The various takes of "The Four Feathers" makes for a nice contrast for the time period. Makes me want to read Churchill's "The River War". Another Charlton Heston period piece I enjoyed was "El Cid".

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 08:27 PM (Pqytn)

The War Lord (1965) is another good one, but I can't remember the last time I saw it.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:33 PM (SiINZ)

228 I saw Death Race 2000 as a kid, so it has huge nostalgia value for me. Favorite scene: hospital puts out eldery patients in street, and driver zips into the ambulance bay to take out the younger nurses hiding there (because worth more points). I think it was Carradene who did that, but can't recall for sure.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at February 16, 2019 08:34 PM (H5knJ)

229 225
There must be something more to your criticism. Did Charleton Heston run over your dog or something?
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:33 PM (vP+yw)

======

He give you a hand job?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:34 PM (zZbCU)

230 We're watching Damnation on Netflix. Not a movie, but a very weird series.

Posted by: ALH at February 16, 2019 08:35 PM (vBjuR)

231 "I am mid book in Kurt's 'Militant Normals' and I can barely contain my anger" Yeah he's the best polemicist out there, displacing Coulter. I would love to write like him.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:35 PM (mk9aG)

232 #206
It was made on the heels of Zulu. It has some very good acting. I liked
Ralph Richardson as Gladstone and Richard Johnson was good, but Chuck
struggles with his accent at times. The movie overall is good but drags
at times."

Khartoum was one of that series of movies where Heston's part was
"look! I'm the famous hero who dies at the end!!!" (stared with El
Seed, I think)
==================================
Interesting parallels with Lancaster in "Go Tell The Spartans". Heston and Peck in "The Big Country"was fun, too.

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 08:35 PM (Pqytn)

233 One of my favorite Heston films is 'Will Penny'.

Posted by: dantesed at February 16, 2019 08:35 PM (88xKn)

234 The political story of Khartoum was one of the best of that age, and I don't think the film quite captured it. The British Government under Prime Minister Gladstone was sick of how much Sudan was costing them, and had decided it was an overextension. Gordon disagreed, said that Great Britain owed the people there the protection they had been led to believe they would have. Gladstone ordered Gordon to leave and return to England, Gordon refused (he came up with a plausible excuse) Gladstone decided to starve Gordon of reinforcements and supplies to make him leave.

Gordon decided he wasn't going to be forced to do anything, even if it killed him, and he made a conscious decision to stay and let himself be killed, to prove to Gladstone that it really was as bad as he said it was. Gladstone figured this out too late, and sent a relief expedition too late. When news of Gordon's murder, and Gladstone's failure, reached London, Gladstone's government collapsed, which was probably Gordon's true goal all along.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (V2Yro)

235 He give you a hand job?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:34 PM (zZbCU)

You think I can be so easily bought ... for a friggin hand-job??!!

That hurts.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (vP+yw)

236 Who was the lead as muscular Hercules? Was it something Reves?"

"... take in an old Steve Reeves movie.."

Posted by: Anon a mouse at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (jGgVe)

237
Jurassic Park is one of the few examples of CGI (blended with animatronics) working well and still holding up today. I suspect that much of what makes it work is the conservative use in the scenes. They don't try to over reach.

Posted by: otho at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (LkFnL)

238 I got to admit the cars and the chase scenes in IAMMMMW take be back to my adolescent years. It's all just like I remember except for the 360 g's.

Posted by: Eromero at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (zLDYs)

239 I saw Charleton Heston Handjobs open for the Cramps at Cat's Cradle in '96.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (LX21o)

240 Gp, I think 2nd season of the Deuce is very lame, particularly with the brothers' and the aspiring feminist girlfriend of the bartender brother. The Wire was much better.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (PUmDY)

241 Oh, and I admire the Homage to stop action filmography that Gravity Falls executed in their series. Even if it was trans-gizzzzzzney.

Posted by: BifBewalski -sofa king we Todd did at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (8ZeGS)

242 Watching HR again (3rd) actually lots of good movies on tonight.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (/rm4P)

243 It's inherently more believable

I found the Garthok far more believable because it looks like it was actually there. Those dinosaurs look like they're in a different movie than the ones the three humans are in.

Posted by: t-bird at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (n/eZB)

244
Saw a complete ripoff of Heat recently, forget the name.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:25 PM (mk9aG)

Ha! I saw that and thought the exact same thing!

It was Den of Thieves, with Gerard Butler. A total rip-off of Heat. Almost a tribute-movie.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:28 PM (vP+yw)

Interestingly enough, Heat is a remake of Mann's earlier attempt at filming the same basic script for TV in '89, L.A. Takedown.

Interesting to see the same lines of dialog delivered by shitty TV actors rather than Pacino and DeNiro.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (juqNl)

245 The War Lord (1965) is another good one, but I can't remember the last time I saw it.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:33 PM (SiINZ)

==========================
Heston was a little to clean and civilized for the part of a Frankish march lord. Richard Boone was perfect, though.

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (Pqytn)

246 235 You think I can be so easily bought ... for a friggin hand-job??!!

That hurts.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (vP+yw)

======

Not just any hand job, but one of Charlton's Midnight Specials!!!

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (zZbCU)

247 >>Bruno Ganz, who played Hitler in "Downfall" and spawned dozens of YouTube parodies, has passed away at 77.

RIP, Bruno!
I've not watched Downfall (other that the meme clip), but he was such a gentle presence in "Vitus" and "Bread and Tulips". Hard to imagine him as Hitler.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (W+vEI)

248 Twitter and social media has convinced people that
they need to be funny too, so everyone thinks they're a comedian now,
and as such, almost all "comedy" is nothing but snark and pop culture
references.

If you try deadpanning around most people these days, they won't get
it, they'll think you're making fun of THEM for some reason, and
they'll tell friends that you're strange, autistic, and weird.

Smart comedy is hard.

Posted by: Walter Freeman

100% agreed. By contrast, of all things, I actually watched an old Lucy episode a few weeks ago. Lucy in color, works for Gale Gordon. Story was one every one of you has seen. He buys ring for wife, Lucy tries it on, gets stuck, they try to remove, eventually she takes tranqulizer and passes out on him. And you know what? It was pretty funny. Not great, but two real pros getting every laugh possible with the material. Never mentioned Trump once.

Posted by: Vertov at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (98pFy)

249 Another upvote for Valley of the Gwangi here.

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (sdi6R)

250 242 Watching HR again (3rd) actually lots of good movies on tonight.
Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (/rm4P)

--I like. A little poignant, since shows a slice of Americana that's forever lost.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (e7oj4)

251 @136: "Why in God's good name did they bother to buy all those things when they never filmed the 'attack'?!"

Jussie was probably too vain and fragile to ask for a real beatdown.

There are plenty of old movies where conspirators plan a fake attack, one person dramatically says "make it look real", and the other apologies before doing the deed. I mean, c'mon, it's a freakin' trope.

He's probably so insulated in elite gay creative circles that it never occurred to him that his word might not be enough evidence. I don't know how else you can explain his GMA interview. Crazy's one thing, but many crazy people are paranoid enough to try a little harder than these clowns.

It's like he felt entitled to be a hate crime victim.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (I/iGu)

252 "It was Den of Thieves, with Gerard Butler." Yes that's it. If I ever watch it again, I will catalog all the shooting locations that they copied from Heat. I recognized a half dozen without even trying. And check the color palette to see if it is Mann Heat Blue.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:39 PM (mk9aG)

253 I saw Death Race 2000 as a kid, so it has huge nostalgia value for me. Favorite scene: hospital puts out eldery patients in street, and driver zips into the ambulance bay to take out the younger nurses hiding there (because worth more points). I think it was Carradene who did that, but can't recall for sure.
Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at February 16, 2019 08:34 PM (H5knJ)

Yup....he was Frankenstein I believe. Mugabe Care could learn a lot from Death Race 2000.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at February 16, 2019 08:39 PM (Z+IKu)

254 237
Jurassic Park is one of the few examples of CGI (blended with animatronics) working well and still holding up today. I suspect that much of what makes it work is the conservative use in the scenes. They don't try to over reach.
Posted by: otho at February 16, 2019 08:36 PM (LkFnL

======

It's the mixture of techniques and the fact that they had physical sources (The models and animatronics) to use as guides. Plus money. The movie wasn't that cheap.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:39 PM (zZbCU)

255 Interestingly enough, Heat is a remake of Mann's earlier attempt at filming the same basic script for TV in '89, L.A. Takedown.

Yep. I saw that. Pretty much word for word identical.

Interesting to see the same lines of dialog delivered by shitty TV actors rather than Pacino and DeNiro.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (juqNl)

I preferred the earlier, cheaper version.

And that remake was done pretty quickly, too ... something like less than 5 years, I think, redone with the same script by the same director ... which was kind of weird, though Mann's movies have a good record of being redone (by others, more than not, I think).

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at February 16, 2019 08:39 PM (vP+yw)

256 The Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms that attacks New York City. Precursor for Gojira and all the kaiju movies. Thanks Harry for enriching our lives.

Harry so loved H.G. Welles' War of the Worlds, he made a stop motion test shot of the Martian getting out of the ship - https://youtu.be/_SHO0apmY0s

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (tFXr6)

257 I only wish I could write my thoughts and emotions half as well as Kurt, Mr. Paine being a deity level writer in that regard similar to our own ewok.

Posted by: BifBewalski -sofa king we Todd did at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (8ZeGS)

258
A movie thread on 1960s historical movies/dramas would be good since there were a ton of them

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (SiINZ)

259 Eris, I loved Top Secret! The reverse Pinto effect, the cow in rubber boots...genius.
Still hate Prometheus, too.

Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (FGqxG)

260 258
A movie thread on 1960s historical movies/dramas would be good since there were a ton of them
Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (SiINZ

======

"There can be only one!"
-Lawrence of Arabia

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:41 PM (zZbCU)

261 OT: Mark Steyn on Gutfeld tonight.

Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 08:41 PM (786Ro)

262 Charlton Heston in Mouth of Madness is sinister as hell.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:41 PM (PUmDY)

263 228 I saw Death Race 2000 as a kid, so it has huge nostalgia value for me. Favorite scene: hospital puts out eldery patients in street, and driver zips into the ambulance bay to take out the younger nurses hiding there (because worth more points). I think it was Carradene who did that, but can't recall for sure."

Death Race 2000 (the Original, not the horrible remake) is one of the most enjoyable movies of that era - my brother and I spent all of are younger driving years shouting "50 points!" whenever we saw a pedestrian in the road.

But underneath the shock story is one of the most cleverly written political satires of all time. If you watch it a couple of times, it starts to really jump out at you! It's a sendup of how an all-powerful government keeps it's citizens stupid and manipulates ridiculous sporting events to maintain a dictatorial power. In the end, Frankenstein the Driver is actually the only man left willing to do what needs to be done to overthrow the regime.

Funny role by a completely (at the time) unknown Sylvester Stallone.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 08:42 PM (V2Yro)

264 My dad was in Big Country, he played Burl Ive's grandson. It was filmed outside of Mojave, CA where my dad and grandparents lived at the time. When they had the casting call for the grandson part my dad was the only little boy in town who didn't have a crewcut, so he got the part. He says that Chuck Connors was the nicest man, he would sit and drink coffee and shoot the breeze with my grandmother all day when he wasn't filming. My dad earned enough money to buy a brand new bicycle which he says was the pinnacle of achievement for a 9yr old boy in 1955.

Posted by: Michelle's Mustache at February 16, 2019 08:42 PM (ubQ71)

265 @244: "Interesting to see the same lines of dialog delivered by shitty TV actors rather than Pacino and DeNiro."

You can lounge around here on her sofa, in her ex-husband's dead-tech, post-modernistic bullshit house if you want to, but you do not get to watch my fucking television set!

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:42 PM (I/iGu)

266 Test.

Posted by: Emperor Country Boy at February 16, 2019 08:43 PM (oBn3V)

267 oh! Valley of Gwangi =1000, Sinbad=<90, but only scored that high because of side-bewb.

Posted by: BifBewalski -sofa king we Todd did at February 16, 2019 08:43 PM (8ZeGS)

268
Still hate Prometheus, too.
Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (FGqxG)

The A9 fan edit of Prometheus is...... not good. But it's a lot less not good than the theatrical version. The thing that probably makes it a bit better is that it plays up the parallel between the Prometheus myth and the story MUCH better than the original version.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 08:44 PM (juqNl)

269 247 >>Bruno Ganz, who played Hitler in "Downfall" and spawned dozens of YouTube parodies, has passed away at 77.

RIP, Bruno!
I've not watched Downfall (other that the meme clip), but he was such a gentle presence in "Vitus" and "Bread and Tulips". Hard to imagine him as Hitler.
Posted by: Lizzy at February 16, 2019 08:37 PM (W+vEI)

I haven't seen Downfall myself but have watched some clips on YouTube. His portrayal of Hitler is absolutely the best. RIP.

I read an article this morning that said he caught flak for portraying Hitler as human instead of a caricatured monster. No, he nailed it perfectly. Hitler *was* human, and humans are capable of extreme evil.

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 08:44 PM (sdi6R)

270 There are plenty of old movies where conspirators plan a fake attack, one person dramatically says "make it look real", and the other apologies before doing the deed. I mean, c'mon, it's a freakin' trope.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (I/iGu)

--In Season 7 of Trailer Park Boys, Ray sets up Officers Johnston and Greene getting beat up with aluminum bats. Hilarity ensures.

https://youtu.be/FsevXi8E_M4?t=44

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:44 PM (e7oj4)

271 >>Ben Affleck starred in and directed The Town which was a Boston loving "let's rob Fenway" movie similar to Heat.

It was based on a book, but Affleck probably couldn't help himself when he depicted the story on screen.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 16, 2019 08:45 PM (W+vEI)

272 I guess this is on-topic for the movie thread. I bought a GoPro camera and video editing software to take my WeaselDog videos to the next level. Also, may try and come up with occasional content with it for the Gun Thread with it.

Posted by: Weasel at February 16, 2019 08:45 PM (MVjcR)

273
"There can be only one!"
-Lawrence of Arabia

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:41 PM (zZbCU)

Becket, A Man for All Seasons, Anne of a Thousand Days, The Lion in Winter, Zulu, The War Lord, 55 Days at Peking. Could be an interesting topic

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (SiINZ)

274 Another upvote for Valley of the Gwangi here.

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (sdi6R)

A thousand upvotes for Gila Golan, who I had never heard of, but has a brief moment in that video clip. I guess she did a couple of movies then married a rich guy and had a family. Good for her, bad for us.

Posted by: I like cookies at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (xxAFD)

275 @CharlieDeMar; 27 minutes ago: "New: Sources -- The brothers were paid $3,500 prior to leaving for Nigeria and were promised an additional $500 upon their return. @cbschicago"

Details leaking fast and furious tonight.

Moral of the story? Never go cheap on hate crime hoax hitmen.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (I/iGu)

276 "I haven't seen Downfall myself" You guys really have to see it. Ganz is great, but there is SO much more to it than just his performance!

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (mk9aG)

277 @Weasel...
Gun camera versus the pizza crust. No crust was left laying.

Posted by: BifBewalski -sofa king we Todd did at February 16, 2019 08:47 PM (8ZeGS)

278 273 Becket, A Man for All Seasons, Anne of a Thousand Days, The Lion in Winter, Zulu, The War Lord, 55 Days at Peking. Could be an interesting topic
Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (SiINZ

=====

Snark aside, true.

Of course, this was when old Hollywood was beginning to die, though they didn't really realize it at the time.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:47 PM (zZbCU)

279 >>I read an article this morning that said he caught flak for portraying Hitler as human instead of a caricatured monster. No, he nailed it perfectly. Hitler *was* human, and humans are capable of extreme evil.

Heh, I don't think he could have *not* portrayed Hitler as human. He was so sweet in Vitus, where he was the grandfather of a prodigy.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 16, 2019 08:48 PM (W+vEI)

280 The brothers were paid $3,500 prior to leaving for Nigeria and were promised an additional $500 upon their return.

---

I've been avoiding discussing it too much in the movie thread, but that's hilarious. Especially if it was coordinated via email.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:48 PM (LX21o)

281 Becket, A Man for All Seasons, Anne of a Thousand
Days, The Lion in Winter, Zulu, The War Lord, 55 Days at Peking. Could
be an interesting topic

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (SiINZ)

====================Cleopatra!!!!!

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 08:48 PM (Pqytn)

282 Downfall was great if only for the visualization of the final, dead end bunker with no escape.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:48 PM (I/iGu)

283 @280: "I've been avoiding discussing it too much in the movie thread."

I almost feel guilty tossing out tidbits in between movie comments, but it's too comical to ignore, and you know how Saturdays go around here.

*shrugs*

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM (I/iGu)

284 Speaking of play acting . . .

Jussie Smollett: "I will never be the man that this did not happen to."

-
So, you're transitioning?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM (+y/Ru)

285 Big Country's Chance is a very great song. RIP, Stuart.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM (PUmDY)

286 I guess this is on-topic for the movie thread. I bought a GoPro camera and video editing software to take my WeaselDog videos to the next level. Also, may try and come up with occasional content with it for the Gun Thread with it.

Posted by: Weasel at February 16, 2019 08:45 PM (MVjcR)

Conor said he can hardly wait to see the dailies!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM (f3oO4)

287 276 "I haven't seen Downfall myself" You guys really have to see it. Ganz is great, but there is SO much more to it than just his performance!
Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (mk9aG

=====

It's a tough watch, but it's one of the great World War II movies.

It's tragic. Germans, on a certain very real level, lost a generation because of Hitler, and there are very powerful examples of that in there.

The fact that the movie became a meme makes me sad.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM (zZbCU)

288
No, he nailed it perfectly. Hitler *was* human, and humans are capable of extreme evil.
Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 08:44 PM (sdi6R)

Yep. It's not that humans are capable of evil, it's that humans are NECESSARY for evil. One can have tragedy in say, a natural disaster, or horror in being eaten by a giant fish off of Amity Island, but evil requires the conscious choice of a human being, the deliberate rejection of good.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM (juqNl)

289 Weasel could be good to see what a dog does in a day.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 08:50 PM (/rm4P)

290 259 Eris, I loved Top Secret! The reverse Pinto effect, the cow in rubber boots...genius.
Still hate Prometheus, too.
Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 08:40 PM (FGqxG)
---
For me it was the station pulling away from the train. Mind, blown.

Prometheus never fails to disappoint, does it? And Covenant was even worse.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 08:50 PM (kQs4Y)

291 Snark aside, true.

Of course, this was when old Hollywood was beginning to die, though they didn't really realize it at the time.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:47 PM (zZbCU)

Yes, it was a golden age of the epic even as it they fell out of favor. Probably the last one was Nicholas and Alexandria (made in 1971). Two Roman ones - Cleopatra and The Fall of the Roman Empire. The last one, Alec Guinness was great as Marcus Aurelius.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 08:50 PM (SiINZ)

292 272 I guess this is on-topic for the movie thread. I bought a GoPro camera and video editing software to take my WeaselDog videos to the next level. Also, may try and come up with occasional content with it for the Gun Thread with it.
Posted by: Weasel at February 16, 2019 08:45 PM (MVjcR)

--Sweet action!!!

Can't wait.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:51 PM (e7oj4)

293 It's the mixture of techniques and the fact that they had physical sources (The models and animatronics) to use as guides. Plus money. The movie wasn't that cheap.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:39 PM

No doubt about the budget.I think what I mean is how the dinos were shown to move. In the original, it looks natural and convincing, because they're keeping the shots and action believable.... simple. Whereas recent CGI use trends toward showing off ... shots, angle and actual movement... it's overkill and takes me out of the scene. It looks slick, but just doesn't look *real*.

Posted by: otho at February 16, 2019 08:51 PM (LkFnL)

294 Jaws was meant to have a realistic mechanical shark, and, had it worked as intended, Jaws would not be nearly as good as what Spielberg was forced to create without super duper special effects.

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 08:51 PM (1UZdv)

295 "It's a tough watch, but it's one of the great World War II movies." For me, the hardest one to watch was Katyn. I think every person ought to see it, once. I don't think I could bear to watch it again.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:51 PM (mk9aG)

296 Moral of the story? Never go cheap on hate crime hoax hitmen.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (I/iGu)

Seriously, a professional only costs a little bit more and you won't regret it in the morning!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 08:52 PM (f3oO4)

297 You can find $1 Hot Wheels cars that are made specifically to allow GoPro cameras to clip onto them.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:52 PM (LX21o)

298 276 "I haven't seen Downfall myself" You guys really have to see it. Ganz is great, but there is SO much more to it than just his performance!
Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:46 PM (mk9aG)

--Yes, it is a great flick.

Must-see for any WWII buff.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:53 PM (e7oj4)

299
The 47 Ronin (1941) on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiCWrDMZZFk

Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 08:53 PM (VBaXf)

300 -
--
I saw Charleton Heston Handjobs ...

----------------------------

Taylor: Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!

Dr. Zira: Oh! Oh, bright eyes, I thought we had something.

Posted by: Planet of the Apes at February 16, 2019 08:53 PM (RVcmP)

301 The article I saw this morning (it was linked in the EMT) said that Ganz felt more comfortable playing Hitler because he was Swiss, not German. Apparently German actors are reluctant to go there.

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 08:53 PM (sdi6R)

302 Just don't leave your GoPro on a ledge somewhere close to a curious bird of prey.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:54 PM (I/iGu)

303 El Cid. And Sophia Loren. Wowsers.

Just watching Charlton Heston in that movie would give toxic amounts of testosterone poisoning to Soy boys.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 08:54 PM (u82oZ)

304 One of the biggest fails in Prometheus?

Charlize Theron pulling off a Wylie Coyote by trying to run AHEAD of the falling spaceship. Run to the side oh so smart spaceship captain.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 08:54 PM (tFXr6)

305 Or seagull for that matter. I forgot it was a seagull.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:55 PM (I/iGu)

306 I found a copy of "My Man Godfrey" in the pawn shop and have watched it 3 times already. William Powell is the best.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 16, 2019 08:55 PM (iIvhJ)

307 Speaking of Downfall, is the Magda Goebbels character the most evil woman in all filmdom

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 08:55 PM (1UZdv)

308 Edit: You could find the Hot Wheels. They were all over the place at Christmas. I assume they're still available.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for fun at February 16, 2019 08:55 PM (LX21o)

309 Big Country's Chance is a very great song. RIP, Stuart.
Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 08:49 PM

Yes. My favorite band from the 80s. Every song on their debut album is great, along with the Wonderland EP they released after they hit the big time.

Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 08:55 PM (786Ro)

310 I had a Chief Engineer who knew every Charlton Heston movie cold. Turns out that was about all one of his old ships had when it was stuck in the ice for six months.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 08:56 PM (u82oZ)

311 name change

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 08:56 PM (LX21o)

312 Just watching Charlton Heston in that movie would give toxic amounts of testosterone poisoning to Soy boys.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 08:54 PM (u82oZ)

--Speaking of Sophia.

Two Women.

Heartbreaking WWII movie.

Another tough watch.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 08:56 PM (e7oj4)

313 "is the Magda Goebbels character the most evil woman in all filmdom" A performance even more chilling than Ganz's. An outstanding cast, a great script, fascinating history.

Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:56 PM (mk9aG)

314 TCM one time showed the two part Japanese black+white 47 Ronin, it was a tough slog. But the real story is tough to take in also. Which is why I hated what Keanu Reeves' movie did, to trivialize it.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 08:57 PM (tFXr6)

315 Weasel, take a look at LightWorks for editing. Its pro grade, oscar-winning software.the free version was choked down to youtube grade output, though.

Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 08:57 PM (FGqxG)

316 I'm trying to find something cheesy on Netflix that deserves half my attention, no less no more.

Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable? at February 16, 2019 08:58 PM (JgA4k)

317 Jay Bauman has tiny little hands. A girl's hands.

Not a criticism, just an observation.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 08:58 PM (kQs4Y)

318 name change

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 08:56 PM (LX21o)

Progs of Spades HQ

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 08:58 PM (f3oO4)

319 The real Magda Goebbles was one of the most evil women ever.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 08:58 PM (tFXr6)

320 That is too bad. I always like him for his common sense and decency, especially as an old school Democrat.

My daughter always referred to him as " that guy on Fox News that looks like a muppet". I couldn't disagree with her. He will be missed as a voice of moderation in increasingly crazy times.
Posted by: SteveOReno, I proudly self-identify as a Moron at February 16, 2019 08:31 PM (2sCft)

I liked Pat a lot. He was honest.

Too bad there is only one moderate Democrat left, that of course is Howard Schultz. Ok, maybe the last non-Commie. He's not moderate, rather Democrat circa 2014.

And he is too conservative for the Democrat party today.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at February 16, 2019 08:58 PM (sy5kK)

321 Cleopatra just told Caesar, 'get some'.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 08:59 PM (ePWRo)

322 314 TCM one time showed the two part Japanese black+white 47 Ronin, it was a tough slog. But the real story is tough to take in also. Which is why I hated what Keanu Reeves' movie did, to trivialize it.
Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 08:57 PM (tFXr6

=====

That newer version is just nonsense. I have a copy because my digital code off of my bluray of Touch of Evil registered as 47 Robin for some reason.

So now my digital collection has 47 Robin and no Touch of Evil.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 08:59 PM (zZbCU)

323 Two Women would never be made today because of rape by Moroccan Muslim soldiers.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:00 PM (tFXr6)

324 Speaking of digital collections, how many movies are you losing with Ultraviolet shutting down?

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 09:00 PM (LX21o)

325 Robot Chicken is great shit.

Hells yeah! The Robot Chicken episode with "Highlohander" was priceless.

Lindsay Lohan: "I hate the way you slur your words, you old drunk."

Sean Connery: "I'm not drunk, I'm Scottish!"

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM guy at February 16, 2019 09:01 PM (7s3Gx)

326 307 Speaking of Downfall, is the Magda Goebbels character the most evil woman in all filmdom
Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 08:55 PM (1UZdv)

At one point she was engaged to a Jewish man and was going to move to the Holy Land! Then she decided to hitch her wagon to that little homonculus Goebbels. I think he had the fiance killed.

Also: how would you like to be an actor and somebody says to you "You'd make a great Goebbels!"?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 09:01 PM (kQs4Y)

327 323 Two Women would never be made today because of rape by Moroccan Muslim soldiers.
Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:00 PM (tFXr6)

--Correct.

Very ominous movie.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (e7oj4)

328 They're at it again.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (ePWRo)

329 324 Speaking of digital collections, how many movies are you losing with Ultraviolet shutting down?
Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 09:00 PM (LX21o)

=====

According to VUDU, none. My collection should be safe.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (zZbCU)

330
Harryhausen is a guy that I usually think of as a director, he had that much of an impact on the films.

Posted by: otho at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (LkFnL)

331 logprof

Is it true that video games never portray the brutality of war?

Especially WWII, where non-combattamts were killed at much higher levels than combatants. What an ugly war. In the Soviet Union's case, it was policy to rape Germans.
The media never mentions that 1945 Germany under Russian occupation had the largest numbers of rape in history.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (u82oZ)

332 Is Jim Webb still around? He must be stroking out with the batshittery of his party.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 09:03 PM (kQs4Y)

333

I consider all of you my "digital collection."

Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 09:03 PM (VBaXf)

334
"Why in God's good name did they bother to buy all those things when they never filmed the 'attack'?!"

Jussie was probably too vain and fragile to ask for a real beatdown.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 08:38 PM (I/iGu)

=====
Did he chicken out at the last second then? I'm not even sure why he got anyone else involved at all -- except to buy the rope -- much less bought hats for them.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at February 16, 2019 09:03 PM (13CQC)

335 Sean Connery: "I'm not drunk, I'm Scottish!"
=================
Sean Connery in "The Longest Day": "It takes an Irishman to play the pipes."

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:04 PM (Pqytn)

336 According to VUDU, none. My collection should be safe.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (zZbCU)

--

I had a couple of codes with Breaking Bad and something else, but I don't think I ever redeemed them. I should probably look into it.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 09:04 PM (LX21o)

337 Salty Dawg, I still remember reading in Reader's Digest[/i[ about the Berline Airlift and that the Americans were still seeing German children play the 'rape game' because of what the Soviet troops did in '45.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:05 PM (tFXr6)

338 The true story of the 47 Ronin has something in common with Gordon in Khartoum, which our culture (except for a brave few) seems to have forgotten.

If you truly believe in a principal, if you truly accept it's value, then you should have no regrets and no hesitation in dying for it. That is how truly honorable men live, and die.

"then out spake brave Horatius, the Captain of the gate;
To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late,
and how can man die better, than facing fearful odds,
for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his gods?"

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 09:05 PM (V2Yro)

339 *skates along the edge of the Barrel*

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:06 PM (tFXr6)

340 "Why in God's good name did they bother to buy all those things when they never filmed the 'attack'?!"

Stuntman never showed up!

Posted by: #Jussie4Jussie at February 16, 2019 09:06 PM (dzJ3R)

341 336 I had a couple of codes with Breaking Bad and something else, but I don't think I ever redeemed them. I should probably look into it.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 09:04 PM (LX21o)

======

I haven't seen an expiration date that's actually been enforced by the services.

I guess the future growth of my collection is on doubt, but that's why I never have up physical media.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:06 PM (zZbCU)

342 Is Jim Webb still around? He must be stroking out with the batshittery of his party.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 09:03 PM (kQs4Y)

Once upon a time in the mists of the past, I had such great hopes for Jim Webb.

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (f3oO4)

343 There was a thing yesterday about Christians in movies?

-
I'm on a Spanish Civil War kick but I liked the Spanish Movie There Be Dragons. It got remarkably poor reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and the like probably because it was about icky Christians in a war about which we've all been told that the anti-Christian Republicans were the good guys.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (+y/Ru)

344 331 logprof

Is it true that video games never portray the brutality of war?

Especially WWII, where non-combattamts were killed at much higher levels than combatants. What an ugly war. In the Soviet Union's case, it was policy to rape Germans.
The media never mentions that 1945 Germany under Russian occupation had the largest numbers of rape in history.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM (u82oZ)

--No bigz, commies are cool. Now Koranimals are en vogue as well. Rapers gonna rape.

"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (e7oj4)

345 What is lohan doing these days?

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (PUmDY)

346 I'm trying to find something cheesy on Netflix that deserves half my attention, no less no more.
Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable?

Do you have Prime as well?

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM (+Tibp)

347 251 @136: "Why in God's good name did they bother to buy all those things when they never filmed the 'attack'?!"

Jussie was probably too vain and fragile to ask for a real beatdown.

There are plenty of old movies where conspirators plan a fake attack, one person dramatically says "make it look real", and the other apologies before doing the deed. I mean, c'mon, it's a freakin' trope.

He's probably so insulated in elite gay creative circles that it never occurred to him that his word might not be enough evidence. I don't know how else you can explain his GMA interview. Crazy's one thing, but many crazy people are paranoid enough to try a little harder than these clowns.

It's like he felt entitled to be a hate crime victim.
Posted by: Walter Freeman

Yea, I don't think Jussie would have survived a beating that 'Killer' got in Dirty Harry in order to fake a police brutality charge on Harry. I think it gets overlooked because Clint Eastwood is Clint Eastwood but Andrew Robinson was wonderfully evil in Dirty Harry.

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM (VDl91)

348 Anna Puma

Thank you.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM (u82oZ)

349 I guess the future growth of my collection is on doubt, but that's why I never have up physical media.

--

I've heard Plex and MakeMKV are game-changers to TV and movie enthusiasts.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM (LX21o)

350 @345: "What is lohan doing these days?"

Fake Apprentice type show on MTV featuring beach club boy and girl employees.

Just as riveting as you might imagine too.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM (I/iGu)

351 I'm on a Spanish Civil War kick but I liked the Spanish Movie There Be Dragons. It got remarkably poor reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and the like probably because it was about icky Christians in a war about which we've all been told that the anti-Christian Republicans were the good guys."

Every time I run across that time period I find myself cheering for Franco, even though he's supposed to be The Bad Guy.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (V2Yro)

352
Pussy Galore just shot Moneypenny. (on the Avengers TV show)

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (SiINZ)

353 "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (e7oj4)

Different war, different man!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (f3oO4)

354 The 47 Ronin waited years and years for the perfect time to strike Kira down. To survive some of them even sold their daughters into prostitution.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (tFXr6)

355 I watched "My Cousin Vinny" for the first time this week. Also watched "Curse of the Pink Panther". Roger Moore was delightfully silly.
As for moderate Democrats, I think Sam Nunn is still around.

Posted by: roamingfirehydrant at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (THS4q)

356 345 What is lohan doing these days?
Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (PUmDY)
---
Botox and Tito's.

She's young but her face already has that weird plasticine look to it.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (kQs4Y)

357 And handbrake. So I've heard.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - ace, make a mirror image liberal site for ads at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (LX21o)

358
What is lohan doing these days?
Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:07 PM (PUmDY)

Mostly prostituting herself in Dubai.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (juqNl)

359 RGB will come...

Posted by: Democrats at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (2kj6M)

360 Logprof,

That movie is playing out on the streets of London now.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:10 PM (u82oZ)

361 Polar on Netflix is decent. Graphic novel movie: action; not deep, but good charismatic lead. Pour yourself a drink and watch that one.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at February 16, 2019 09:10 PM (H5knJ)

362 350, what a shame.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:10 PM (PUmDY)

363 346 I'm trying to find something cheesy on Netflix that deserves half my attention, no less no more.
Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable?

Do you have Prime as well?
Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM (+Tibp)

--Prime has The Blues Brothers. Just re-watched last night for the first time in >20 years.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:11 PM (e7oj4)

364 @361: "Polar on Netflix is decent."

Oooh. Good suggestion. I've been meaning to watch that, if only for Mads Mikkelsen and Katheryn Winnick.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:11 PM (I/iGu)

365 "my breasts are full and round, my hips are spread apart, I am made for making you sons

Libs hair spontaneous combusting across the video spectrum.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 09:11 PM (ePWRo)

366 At one point she was engaged to a Jewish man and was going to move to the Holy Land! Then she decided to hitch her wagon to that little homonculus Goebbels. I think he had the fiance killed.

-
Just as well. Avoids those awkward meetings at parties.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at February 16, 2019 09:12 PM (+y/Ru)

367 The media never mentions that 1945 Germany under Russian occupation had the largest numbers of rape in history.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM

I am pretty sure that if I had brought up "the Russian occupiers raped the Germans" to either of my grandfathers, their response would have been "Too bad. Next time don't start a war"

Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 09:12 PM (zCabI)

368 Every time I run across that time period I find myself cheering for Franco, even though he's supposed to be The Bad Guy.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (V2Yro)

Western Civilization allowed the losers to write the history in that war contrary to the meme.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:12 PM (2DOZq)

369 Uh oh, do I smell common sense laser sight controls in our future?

CNN: Witness: Shooter had a gun with laser sight.

Posted by: Emperor Country Boy at February 16, 2019 09:12 PM (jHG9p)

370 Every time I run across that time period I find myself cheering for Franco, even though he's supposed to be The Bad Guy.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 09:09 PM (V2Yro)

--Franco was a patriot.

Spain would have become Albania if it weren't for him.

See also Pinochet.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:13 PM (e7oj4)

371 best Prometheus fail for me is when Noomi climbs in the men-only robodoc thing. It should have given her a full on sex-change.
"Sir, you have no genitalia!"

Posted by: Gooshy at February 16, 2019 09:13 PM (qKS5a)

372 I'd like to see David Brin's Startide Rising or The Uplift Warfor the story and special effects. Alas, some things can only be done with books.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:14 PM (u82oZ)

373 Netflix has "Animal House", a bunch of Bond flix, and some other classics on tap.

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:14 PM (Pqytn)

374 --Prime has The Blues Brothers. Just re-watched last night for the first time in >20 years.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:11 PM (e7oj4)

I may have to violate my no TV rule and watch that!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 09:14 PM (f3oO4)

375 She's young but her face already has that weird plasticine look to it.
Posted by: All Hail Eris
----------

Speaking of which, and RGB, for that matter, this guy still attends meetings:

https://preview.tinyurl.com/y26eg72z

Posted by: Democrats at February 16, 2019 09:14 PM (fZcn6)

376 Tonight's movie menu:
North to Alaska
El Dorado
The comancheros
Hoosiers
Brought to you by the paterfamilias loves John Wayne and basketball

Posted by: Sock monkey at February 16, 2019 09:15 PM (SLTeJ)

377 Speaking of which, and RGB,

RBG, dammit.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 16, 2019 09:15 PM (fZcn6)

378 Hey everybody.

ITC: TV movies! Seems they were always a poor cousin to theatricals.

And yet, some of my all-time favorite flicks are, and were, TV movies:

- Duel
- The Day After
- Special Bulletin
- Threads
- Dark Night Of The Scarecrow
- Sybil
- Brian's Song
...and the miniseries, It, Salem's Lot, and The Sand. (All by Stephen King, interestingly enough)

They *can* be just as good as theatricals, but it seems so often the networks didn't want to give them any real budget or hire anyone with real talent.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:15 PM (miE9U)

379 Can't get much cheesier than "Diamonds Are Forever".

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (Pqytn)

380 Since we're on a war kick . . .

The classic "Remember My Forgotten Man"

https://youtu.be/fzNcT7wfHj4

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (e7oj4)

381 Of course, I wouldn't have known had I not scrolled down far enough that the killer was a black guy.

This story will die fast.

Posted by: Emperor Country Boy at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (jHG9p)

382 TJM, and thanks for a yet another great movie thread. :-)

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (miE9U)

383 I do not plan to watch the live-action Battle Angel Alita or as it is called in Japan Gunm.

First because Cameron has been jerking fans around on this for what seems an eternity. And instead of delivering on his promise to make it, pawns it off to someone else so he can make two more Avatard movies.

Second I hear they have 'fixed' Alita's big eyes problem but I don't care, first impressions you know.

Third, Alita's eventual tragic love interest Hugo is a gutter rat wearing rags. He is not a pretty-boy with a hover-bike.

So I'll pass and consign this movie to The Abyss.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (tFXr6)

384 The media never mentions that 1945 Germany under Russian occupation had the largest numbers of rape in history.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:02 PM

I am pretty sure that if I had brought up "the Russian occupiers raped the Germans" to either of my grandfathers, their response would have been "Too bad. Next time don't start a war"
Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 09:12 PM (zCabI)

Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (2DOZq)

385 -Franco was a patriot.

Spain would have become Albania if it weren't for him.

See also Pinochet.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:13 PM (e7oj4)

Seconded

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (SiINZ)

386 378 They *can* be just as good as theatricals, but it seems so often the networks didn't want to give them any real budget or hire anyone with real talent.
Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:15 PM (miE9U

=====

The Great Santini?

(Made for tv movie that was released theatrically when the network realized how good it was)

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (zZbCU)

387 >>...and the miniseries, It, Salem's Lot, and The Sand. (All by Stephen King, interestingly enough)

If you're including mini-series, then add "Band of Brothers!"

Posted by: Lizzy at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (W+vEI)

388 Yea, I don't think Jussie would have survived a beating that 'Killer' got in Dirty Harry in order to fake a police brutality charge on Harry. I think it gets overlooked because Clint Eastwood is Clint Eastwood but Andrew Robinson was wonderfully evil in Dirty Harry."

There was a famous incident in "The Glass Key" starring Alan Ladd, Vernica Lake, and William Bendix. In one scene Bendix' character is administering a beating to Ladd's character, who he is holding prisoner. Bendix is physically quite a bit larger than Ladd, and in filming that scene he unintentionally connected and knocked Ladd out cold. (It's in the final cut, if you watch carefully you can see a point where Ladd's head snaps back and his knees go limp)

Bendix apologized to him so profusely that they became good friends after that.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (V2Yro)

389 The Sand? The Stand. :-P

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (miE9U)

390 I've started watching something called Shameless. I'll see.

Posted by: Northern Lurker, irritable, so very irritable. Have I mentioned I'm irritable? at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (JgA4k)

391 382 TJM, and thanks for a yet another great movie thread. :-)
Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (miE9U

======

Not a problem.
I'm just happy someone enjoys it.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (zZbCU)

392 Lohan was hot, Sad.

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (PUmDY)

393 @383: "... pawns it off to someone else so he can make two more Avatard movies."

Two? At least three with options for more!

Eleven years after the original too. So weird.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (I/iGu)

394 That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation
------

Roosevelt was very naive regarding European history.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (fZcn6)

395 Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (2DOZq)

And all of eastern Europe. Hell, that commie cripple FDR wanted to give Greece to Uncle Joe, but Churchill said no to that.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (SiINZ)

396 Caesar has a son by Cleo.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (ePWRo)

397 Salty Dawg, after what Kevin Costner did to The Postman I doubt Brin will ever trust anyone with Sundiver, Startide Rising, or The Uplift War.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (tFXr6)

398 TJM, I did not know that. I need to see it again. I think I watched it on cable decades ago but seem to have forgotten it mostly.

Lizzy, yup! Forgot that one too.

It's too bad the networks don't really seem interested in miniseries anymore. (Although they do seem interested in coming out with numerous "limited series.")

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM (miE9U)

399 Roosevelt was very naive regarding European history.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (fZcn6)

He wasn't naive, he along with his administration were communists

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM (SiINZ)

400 Shibumi must be getting into her party chaps by this point.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM (kQs4Y)

401 Northern Lurker, I actually know an actress who did a small part in at least one episode of Shameless.

Julie Boyd.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM (miE9U)

402 Chuck C

I think Germany over-learned that lesson from WWII. Now their entire Armed and Police forces are outnumbered by invaders. WWII is a cautionary tale. Do not let invaders in the country.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM (u82oZ)

403 393 @383: "... pawns it off to someone else so he can make two more Avatard movies."

Two? At least three with options for more!

Eleven years after the original too. So weird.
Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (I/iGu)

======

All being made at once, and Avatar was largely forgotten by the culture.

Cameron had serious clout if he can get that kind of production financed.

I thought Peter Jackson getting King Kong made was the height of a director's power...

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM (zZbCU)

404
386 378 They *can* be just as good as theatricals, but it seems so often the networks didn't want to give them any real budget or hire anyone with real talent.
Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:15 PM (miE9U

=====

The Great Santini?

(Made for tv movie that was released theatrically when the network realized how good it was)
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:17 PM (zZbCU)

The Last Seduction.

Linda Fiorentino was so good in that film that there was serious Oscar buzz around her performance. And the Academy ruled that since it was a TV film...

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at February 16, 2019 09:20 PM (juqNl)

405 I used to confuse Lohan and Tara Reid for some reason, and strangely enough, fate kinda dealt them the same hand in terms of popularity, lack thereof, and unnatural facial work.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:20 PM (I/iGu)

406 It's funny that SpaceX's new test vehicle looks almost exactly like the rocket from "Destination Moon" in 1950.

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 09:20 PM (sdi6R)

407 And yet, some of my all-time favorite flicks are, and were, TV movies:

- Duel

- The Day After

- Special Bulletin

- Threads

- Dark Night Of The Scarecrow

- Sybil

- Brian's Song

...and the miniseries, It, Salem's Lot, and The Sand. (All by Stephen King, interestingly enough)

And hells yeah again. I have a copy of Special Bulletin on VHS but I don't recall whether I've ported it over to DVD yet. Better check.

In the meantime, the 1979 version of Salem's Lot I *do* have on disc.

"Stay tuned, puss, or you won't see how Secret Storm turns out..."

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM guy at February 16, 2019 09:20 PM (7s3Gx)

408 I may have to violate my no TV rule and watch that!
Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 09:14 PM (f3oO4)

--I got a little misty, knowing that James Browm, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin are no longer with us.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:21 PM (e7oj4)

409 Another great TV movie that was very soapy:

The Betty Broderick Story. Starring the mom on Family Ties, Meredith Baxter Birney. I think she was channeling Faye Dunaway/Mommie Dearest in that one.

Also, Dick Van Dyke did a fantastic TV movie on alcoholism in the 1970s called, The Morning After. Unfortunately it's never been available in any format for purchase.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (miE9U)

410 used to confuse Lohan and Tara Reid for some reason, and strangely enough, fate kinda dealt them the same hand in terms of popularity, lack thereof, and unnatural facial work.
Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:20 PM (I/iGu

Of the two, Lohan is the least disgusting.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (2DOZq)

411 @395: "Churchill said no to that."

Churchill would have started the next war to liberate Eastern Europe the very next day after WWII if given his druthers.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (I/iGu)

412 Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (2DOZq)

Yup.....The Soviet Union had been preparing for an aggressive war on the West and Germany in particular starting in the late 20's.

Poland beat their asses in the early 20's so they had to rethink on how and when.

Ever wonder why the Red Army was named that?

Their mission was to expand communist rule over the whole globe.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (Z+IKu)

413 The Stand?

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (PUmDY)

414 Anna Puma (HQCaR)

I've read [iThe Postman and enjoyed it, but never saw the movie.

I might be too cynical to re-read the novel. And hate Hollywood too much to buy the movie.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (u82oZ)

415 The media never mentions that 1945 Germany under Russian occupation had the largest numbers of rape in history.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16
First, approach statistics for data from that time. And environment with healthy bit of skepticism. Second, a lot of that was naturally Payback. I'm not defending the Russians but rape has and probably always will be one of the weapons of war. Sad statement but true

Posted by: Sock monkey at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (SLTeJ)

416 Fiorentino really elevates the pulse. I get the same reaction fron Lena Olin.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (H5knJ)

417 414 Anna Puma (HQCaR)

I've read [iThe Postman and enjoyed it, but never saw the movie.

I might be too cynical to re-read the novel. And hate Hollywood too much to buy the movie.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:22 PM (u82oZ)

=====

It is not a good movie.

And I kinda like Waterworld.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (zZbCU)

418 -
--
I think it gets overlooked because Clint Eastwood is Clint Eastwood but Andrew Robinson was wonderfully evil in Dirty Harry.

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM

--------------------

Yep. Even as a kid I wanted to shoot that SOB and stomp on the wound.

Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (RVcmP)

419
Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time
as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war
is a travesty.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (2DOZq)

============================
The Soviets had three trumps - 1) Troop in the occupied territories, 2) US desperation for a Soviet declaration of war against the Japanese Empire, and 3) Allied POWs in hand after the Red Army overran their camps. Not to mention US and British war weariness, because war against the Russians was the only way to get Stalin's paws off of eastern Europe.

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (Pqytn)

420 "It's a tough watch, but it's one of the great World War II movies." For me, the hardest one to watch was Katyn. I think every person ought to see it, once. I don't think I could bear to watch it again.
Posted by: gp at February 16, 2019 08:51 PM (mk9aG)

No thank you. The movie may be the best ever made but I've read everything I could put my hands on and see probably every picture of the exhumations the Nazis did.

I do not need to relive that horror at all.

Posted by: Not a Historian at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (vqIkG)

421 ITC, I didn't know that one was a TV movie either! I have to look for it.

Additional Blonde Agent, of all the early 1980s TV anti-nuke flicks, Special Bulletin is my favorite.

Among other things, it features the greatest "oh shit" moment of all time, if you look closely enough...

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (miE9U)

422 The Great Santini?

(Made for tv movie that was released theatrically when the network realized how good it was)
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone
---------

As I recollect, it was originally titled 'The Ace'.

With some trepidation, I recommend '84 Charlie Mopic'. I believe that it is one of those that should not be approached too lightly. Quasi-documentary of LRRP.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at February 16, 2019 09:24 PM (ZMWtN)

423 392 Lohan was hot, Sad.
Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (PUmDY)

--Eh, hot enough for a overly freckly ginger.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:24 PM (e7oj4)

424
The last episode of Danger Man (Secret Agent in the US) is on Charge TV. One of two episodes filmed in color before Patrick McGoohan got tired of the show, quit and started The Prisoner.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:24 PM (SiINZ)

425 Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty."

Yes, it was. Patton was right, he didn't want to let them have it.

As far as the rape numbers go - it's sad, but from the standpoint of our civilization we have forgotten that it's pretty much been standard in almost every war ever fought. (we are very unusual) It's one of the rewards soldiers are "given" for winning, and they figure they're doing the survivors a favor by just raping them, and not slaughtering them all on the spot. Which of course happened plenty of times to.

I don't mean to exonerate the Russians, but they were acting like every conquering army in the last 10,000 years. Non-combatants are spoils of war, to be used as those who take them see fit.

(hence the tradition in India of all the women to throw themselves into a great fire if their side lost the battle)

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 09:24 PM (V2Yro)

426 384
Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (2DOZq)

Diana West has a whole lot to say about that in "American Betrayal".

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 09:24 PM (sdi6R)

427 @403: "Cameron had serious clout if he can get that kind of production financed."

Titanic and Avatar put a lot of money in the bank. I'm pretty sure he's bankrolling most of upfront production expense. Kinda like Lucas having free rein to do the prequels when and how he wanted. Honestly, I rewatched Avatar a few months ago for the first time since release, and I thought it held up reasonably well, clunky storyline aside. So who knows.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:25 PM (I/iGu)

428 Chuck C

I think Germany over-learned that lesson from WWII. Now their entire Armed and Police forces are outnumbered by invaders. WWII is a cautionary tale. Do not let invaders in the country.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:19 PM

Germany's self-inflicted suicide by welcoming theie barbarian invaders has much more recent causes than rapes after WWII.

Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 09:25 PM (zCabI)

429 Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:23 PM (Pqytn)

Don't get me started on the Russian declaration of war on Japan.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:26 PM (2DOZq)

430 395 Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM (2DOZq)

And all of eastern Europe. Hell, that commie cripple FDR wanted to give Greece to Uncle Joe, but Churchill said no to that.
Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:18 PM (SiINZ)

--yeah, tragic irony of history that the whole point of WWII in Europe starting was to defend Poland's independence . . . which did not happen for another half century anyway.

I blame the Frogs.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:26 PM (e7oj4)

431 Duel, an early Speilberg effort, is a classic.

Posted by: JoeF. at February 16, 2019 09:26 PM (o1fzk)

432 Tara Reid has something Lohan doesn't, and that something is Sharknado.

And then there's this:

Tara Reid Sues 'Sharknado' Producers For $100M

Actress Tara Reid has filed a lawsuit against SYFY Media Productions and Asylum Entertainment for allegedly using her image on Sharknado-branded beer bottles and slot machines without her permission. Reid is seeking $100 million for the alleged false endorsement and misappropriation of her likeness....

https://bit.ly/2TSzARv

(emph. mine )

Posted by: Hands at February 16, 2019 09:26 PM (786Ro)

433 Walter Freeman, as I understand it, George Lucas was in the very enviable and incredible position of being able to finance the second series of Star Wars films, *all by himself.*

So, he was literally untouchable with regard to whatever (stupid crazy) decisions he made about how they ended up. And, he made ALL the profits himself; no sharing.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:26 PM (miE9U)

434 427 @403: "Cameron had serious clout if he can get that kind of production financed."

Titanic and Avatar put a lot of money in the bank. I'm pretty sure he's bankrolling most of upfront production expense. Kinda like Lucas having free rein to do the prequels when and how he wanted. Honestly, I rewatched Avatar a few months ago for the first time since release, and I thought it held up reasonably well, clunky storyline aside. So who knows.
Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:25 PM (I/iGu

======

It showed up in a post a few weeks ago.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:27 PM (zZbCU)

435
Best TV movie ever: GARGOYLES

Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 09:27 PM (VBaXf)

436 >>"Cameron had serious clout if he can get that kind of production financed."

Aren't they building an Avatar theme park?
They'll need the movies to advertise for the park, I suppose.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 16, 2019 09:27 PM (W+vEI)

437 Don't get me started on the Russian declaration of war on Japan.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation
------

All of your Sakhalins belong to us!

Posted by: Stalin at February 16, 2019 09:27 PM (ZMWtN)

438 This movie is on until 2300hrs, I can't stay up until then.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 09:28 PM (/rm4P)

439 >>It's funny that SpaceX's new test vehicle looks almost exactly like the rocket from "Destination Moon" in 1950.

Posted by: rickl

Their engine test facility has been busy. A test almost every night this week.

Posted by: Aviator at February 16, 2019 09:28 PM (2cuLk)

440 Great cheese on Netflix is the Norwegian Northmen. The Office meets Vikings. Its hysterical

Neflix has the version they reshot in English

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 09:28 PM (1UZdv)

441 Wanted to mention to everyone:

Finally got my Roku. Gonna hook it up tomorrow.
Hope I and others can FINALLY cut the cable!

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:29 PM (miE9U)

442 435
Best TV movie ever: GARGOYLES
Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 09:27 PM (VBaXf)

--Nah. V.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:29 PM (e7oj4)

443 logprof, LOL. I remember V.
Came out right before I started my senior year, 1983.

The big mystery about the film was, why are the aliens coming here? Then the answer came out, and I have to admit it gave me a bit of a shiver.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:31 PM (miE9U)

444 Salty Dawg, in the movie Costner's initial motivation to hate the Honists is because they killed his mule. There was no mule in the story.

Absolutely no mention of the US efforts to make augmented humans in the movie.

And remember the sub-plot of all the 'liberated' women who would sneak into the Holnist compounds to assassinate them? Completely gone.

But Costner did add a happy ending to the story instead of the guy heading south to find out what was going on in California.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:31 PM (tFXr6)

445 I think it gets overlooked because Clint Eastwood is Clint Eastwood but Andrew Robinson was wonderfully evil in Dirty Harry.

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 09:08 PM

--------------------

Yep. Even as a kid I wanted to shoot that SOB and stomp on the wound.

-
At the end of movie, Clint shoots him in a questionable shooting and, believing that they'll never let him keep it, throws his badge away. In the Mad parody, he throws his actor's union card away.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at February 16, 2019 09:31 PM (+y/Ru)

446
Don't get me started on the Russian declaration of war on Japan.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:26 PM (2DOZq)

Hey they bravely stepped in at the last 30 seconds of the war in the Pacific. Couldn't have won it without them /s

Posted by: TheQuietMan at February 16, 2019 09:31 PM (SiINZ)

447 Tom Servo

This smart military blog and all the commenters know this.

We have an uninformed populous. Not liking the trend line. A pinch of preparedness would work, rather than a plethora of rape crisis centers. But the Movie and TV culture ignores that.

You coul not remake Two Women, or Khartoum, or The Four Feathers or El Cid, without stripping the meaning from the tale.

But we are just fine with bubbly Disney pictures where every girl is a princess.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:31 PM (u82oZ)

448 Of Costner post apocalyptic movies which is better?

The Postman or Waterworld ?

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:32 PM (2DOZq)

449 @434: "It showed up in a post a few weeks ago."

Just searched and read. Thanks for the reminder.

It's funny, but I think people sometimes forget just how far television hardware quality has come in the last few years, and same goes for distribution media, sound equipment, etc.

Avatar was somewhat ahead of its time in that regard. I didn't see it in theater, so my initial experience was somewhat meh, and that's why I was so pleasantly surprised on rewatch.

*shrugs*

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:32 PM (I/iGu)

450 435

Best TV movie ever: GARGOYLES

Posted by: Soothsayer SLX Pro Series II Platinum Turbo at February 16, 2019 09:27 PM (VBaXf)

--Nah. V.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:29 PM (e7oj4)

========================
"Gargoyles" (Cornel Wilde, right?) was one of the creepiest TV movies I've ever seen. "V." was great. Who did the screenplay?

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:32 PM (Pqytn)

451 Anon, I think the end of Dirty Harry was, in a way, an homage to High Noon.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:32 PM (miE9U)

452 It is weird, that I'm siding against Dennis Prager but with AOC on this Amazon thing.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:32 PM (e7oj4)

453 Except Russia attacked and occupied Poland at relatively the same time as Germany. That we allowed them to occupy all of Poland after the war is a travesty.
Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:16 PM

After 3.5 years of war, I just can't see any US politician on VE+1 announcing "Let's go to war with the Russians."

Especially when we were still fighting Japan (and planning to send troops from Europe to the Pacific), and still did not have the bomb.

Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 09:33 PM (zCabI)

454 mrp: Kenneth Johnson wrote V.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:34 PM (miE9U)

455 -
--
Of Costner post apocalyptic movies which is better?

The Postman or Waterworld ?

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:32 PM

--------------------------

Tin Cup.

Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 09:34 PM (RVcmP)

456 Among other things, it features the greatest "oh shit" moment of all time, if you look closely enough...

I'm going to have to rewatch it. But watching the NEST guys starting to scramble wasn't a good sign.

Best part, however, was how I saw the movie shortly after I'd been to Charleston for a meeting. A morbid heh...

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM guy at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (7s3Gx)

457 logprof, as I recall, Tucker Carlson thought AOC had some good points about Amazon in NYC.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (miE9U)

458 The Smokers as bad guys in Waterworld were just too over the top. Smokers. Land developers. The Exxon Valdez.

Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (ZfRYq)

459 And if Startide Rising ever does get a green light, which version of the story?

The original version or the revised version Brin penned for the 10th Anniversary?

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (tFXr6)

460 I read Brevors book on the fall of Berlin, after reading his book on Stalingrad.
IIRC, what made the Russians rapes different was that it wasn't just the Soviet leaders letting boys be boys but a conscious policy to emasculate the collective German manhood

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (1UZdv)

461 Additional, *that's* the 'oh shit' moment. :-)

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (miE9U)

462 The party has started!!!

Posted by: Emperor Country Boy at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (jHG9p)

463 Sad statement but true
Posted by: Sock monkey

I saw a documentary recently on how the German people suffered after WWII. Like Germans in the Sudetenland and such. People hated Germans and treated them all accordingly. Sad.

Posted by: Blutarski at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (+Tibp)

464 453
After 3.5 years of war, I just can't see any US politician on VE+1 announcing "Let's go to war with the Russians."

Especially when we were still fighting Japan (and planning to send troops from Europe to the Pacific), and still did not have the bomb.
Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 09:33 PM (zCabI)

That's true, and the bloodiest battles in the Pacific were yet to come.

Posted by: rickl at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (sdi6R)

465 mrp: Kenneth Johnson wrote V.

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:34 PM (miE9U)

=====================
Thanks!

Posted by: mrp at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (Pqytn)

466 455
Tin Cup.

Posted by: irright at February 16, 2019 09:34 PM (RVcmP

====

Lol.

My dad loves that movie. I kind of grew up on it.

When I played golf in high school, I made Tin Cup jokes all the time. It helped that I was best with my 7 iron.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone, buy The Battle of Lake Erie today! at February 16, 2019 09:36 PM (zZbCU)

467 Of Costner post apocalyptic movies which is better?

The Postman or Waterworld ?

-
I despised Postman. I only hated Waterworld. YMMV.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at February 16, 2019 09:36 PM (+y/Ru)

468 I liked The Postman*, but someone (I think) Anna pointed me towards the book and that's great too. They're thematically similar, but different, I still think both of them are worth the time to take in!

*This was before my vow to only waste time on AoS.

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at February 16, 2019 09:37 PM (f3oO4)

469 Prob going to mess up, but Prime Lohan..

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qNqbV050wZU

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at February 16, 2019 09:37 PM (PUmDY)

470 @448: "The Postman or Waterworld ?"

I couldn't shake the memory of The Postman's bad guy being the same guy who kills himself in No Way Out. Something about my age and upbringing and No Way Out being one of early premium cable's heavy rotation movies. Smarmy dude.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at February 16, 2019 09:37 PM (I/iGu)

471 ONT is up

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at February 16, 2019 09:37 PM (UGqF8)

472 443 logprof, LOL. I remember V.
Came out right before I started my senior year, 1983.

The big mystery about the film was, why are the aliens coming here? Then the answer came out, and I have to admit it gave me a bit of a shiver.
Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:31 PM (miE9U)

--I was in middle school. My buddies and I were talking about it like crazy after it aired.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:37 PM (e7oj4)

473 One of Lisa's great lines on the Simpsons, when she finally sees The Postman playing on a TV at the mall:

"Ooo, this looks like it really sucks!"

Posted by: qdpsteve at February 16, 2019 09:38 PM (miE9U)

474 Hacksaw Ridge is pretty good so far.

Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:38 PM (e7oj4)

475 Talking about Jane Badler deep throating a mouse were you?

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:38 PM (tFXr6)

476 After 3.5 years of war, I just can't see any US politician on VE+1 announcing "Let's go to war with the Russians."

Especially when we were still fighting Japan (and planning to send troops from Europe to the Pacific), and still did not have the bomb.
Posted by: Chuck C at February 16, 2019 09:33 PM (zCabI)

So we just waited another six years before we basically did anyway . Anyway the first step wasn't war, it was not capitulating to the Soviets actions immediately. That's why politicians for the most part are lower than whale shit.

Posted by: Can't resist temptation at February 16, 2019 09:38 PM (2DOZq)

477 but a conscious policy to emasculate the collective German manhood

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 09:35 PM (1UZdv)

That sounds familiar for some reason!

Posted by: Mohammad Mahomet Muhammed at February 16, 2019 09:39 PM (f3oO4)

478 Anna Puma

Wow, Thanks for telling me what happened in the movie. Brin is good for some issues, and it looks like the movie cut the strengths from the novel.

Was there a redemption arc on how the Postman bound communities together and gave hope and order to a post USA world? That was the best part of the novel to me.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 16, 2019 09:39 PM (u82oZ)

479 Salty Dawg, I can't remember. I could stand to watch that movie only once.

The only part even close to the book that I remember is when Costner's character is checked out like a horse for the super-mumps.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at February 16, 2019 09:41 PM (tFXr6)

480 Especially when we were still fighting Japan (and planning to send troops from Europe to the Pacific), and still did not have the bomb.

-
After two years in England as an armorer and ground gunner with the 56th Fighter Group, my father volunteered as a gunner on B-29s over Japan and would have gone but for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at February 16, 2019 09:42 PM (+y/Ru)

481 The exploits of the hero in Hacksaw Ridge aren't exaggerated. Mel actually left some of them out

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 16, 2019 09:42 PM (1UZdv)

482

All time best Eastwood was the speech to the chair

Posted by: Sock monkey at February 16, 2019 09:45 PM (SLTeJ)

483 458 The Smokers as bad guys in Waterworld were just too over the top. Smokers. Land developers. The Exxon Valdez.
Posted by: blaster, Abolish FBI

Dennis Hopper was awesome though. Meh, I liked Waterworld. I'm weird.

Posted by: Puddleglum at February 16, 2019 09:48 PM (VDl91)

484 Waterworld wasn't that bad of a movie, seen it often.

Posted by: Skip at February 16, 2019 09:53 PM (/rm4P)

485 Still have fond memories of Coogan's Bluff.I think I was about 11 25 cent Saturday at the Dishman Theater. First time I ever saw a naked female. Still have fond memories Saturday at the movies. Sad thing was the Dishman turned into a porn theater and now a strip joint..

Posted by: Sock monkey at February 16, 2019 09:56 PM (SLTeJ)

486 Too much plotting and pomp - not enough babs.
That's why Cleo didn't make enough money.

Posted by: Romulus at February 16, 2019 10:01 PM (ePWRo)

487 If you love old done-by-hand effects, I highly recommend a short movie called Multiple Sidosis, made by and starring a guy named Sid. He did some really slick editing, just in a home darkroom as far as I know. It must have taken a long time but the result is classic.

I can't preview the link but this is it. Apologies if the quality is bad or something.

https://youtu.be/jQz9ZjN6mkw

Posted by: mr_jack at February 16, 2019 10:14 PM (LvJ1f)

488 -I got a little misty, knowing that James Browm, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin are no longer with us.
Posted by: logprof at February 16, 2019 09:21 PM (e7oj4)

Matt Murphy, too. RIP, dude.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 16, 2019 10:25 PM (nPGq2)

489 I grew up when Harryhousen was the King of stop action animation. My friends and I would chortle happily at some of his more outrageous and obvious effects. A few years down the road, Glen Glenn special effects looked pretty good, although every media con ran the Star Trek blooper reel with Shatner repeatedly running into doors that hadn't opened properly practically non-stop.

Then I saw Star Wars for the first time. I remember sitting in my seat during the opening scene when a star ship zipped by. Not bad, I thought. Then came the second ship. And it kept coming and coming and coming and growing and growing and growing as my jaw dropped and I slid further and further down into my seat. I never recovered.

In the following movies, a couple of the blue screen effects were ppathetic. But Lucas had really lost it by the time he made Jedi. He had made enough off the first two to self finance the third, meaning there was no one who could tell him the sfx were overshadowing the story.

Peter Jackson cranked out the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the same time Lucas was putting out the never to be sufficiently damned prequels. The differences between the two sets of trailers was incredible. Lucas's trailers basically screamed " Special effects. Look at all the wonderful special effects!!! And, oh yeah, if you look hard enough, there might be a plot line. " Jackson's trailers stressed the characters and story line over the special effects. And in the actual movies, in the prequels the special effects were the movie. In LOTR, the special effects served the storyline instead of being the story line.

I'll be the first to admit I love today's sfx. I love the excitement, the big chases, the big booms. (Although Bruckheimer and Depp need to find a new schtick. Same sequence, different setting.)

But every year, someone, mostly a British someone, sneaks in a little film with no special effects that demonstrates that sfx are totally unnecessary to a great story line.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin at February 16, 2019 10:27 PM (Wt5xr)

490 Oh, and if you love old-school effects, I hope you know about The Wizard of Speed and Time. Done on a tiny shoestring budget, it's a mix of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation.

Mike Jittlov is the star, the animator, the director, the everything. He's the guy with the torch (his brother was in the wizard suit for that one scene) and he's the "9.7" guy at the end.

The whole movie is fun but this is the jewel of the movie.

https://youtu.be/q5jOMLbyozg

Posted by: mr_jack at February 16, 2019 10:30 PM (LvJ1f)

491 A little bit late, but I have always loved Gargoyles! They hit exactly the right tone of creepiness in that one. And I actually had a friend who was in it! Now that was kind of funny, he was actually a part time professor at UC Davis, and he did back lot work whenever he could, and he loved to brag about how he actually got on screen in Gargoyles, but for the longest time he wouldn't tell us what part he played.

He finally admitted - he was the Gargoyle who ran across the road and got hit by the Semi. In his Great and Glorious film career, he got to say exactly one line, and it was "yeeeearrrrrrgghgggggghhhhh"

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 16, 2019 11:05 PM (V2Yro)

492 Very late here but the very best stop motion must be the dragon in Dragonslayer. It even has most CGI beat.

Posted by: MAGA at February 16, 2019 11:46 PM (I5LRE)

493 The Lego movies have that fake look intentionally.

Posted by: TheMascotArmy at February 17, 2019 09:47 AM (IAGvD)

494 The last ten minutes of the movie 'Glass' should have been in the first ten minutes, leading to ninety more minutes of actual plot line. It's like filming Superman wearing kryptonite underwear for a super hero porno. Sure, you could make that movie, but why would you?
I didn't think there would be an M. Night S. movie worse than 'Lady in the Water', but 'Glass' sinks to the occasion. 'Glass' also gets the academy award for 'Biggest Waste of On-Screen Talent in a Cinematic Production'. I thought 'Unbreakable' was 'Unremarkable', but 'Glass' is 'Unwatchable'.

Posted by: Aeric at February 17, 2019 10:15 AM (ZbgGv)

495 The skeletons were in Jason and the Argonauts. Not Clash of the Titans.

Posted by: Spamf Roming at February 17, 2019 10:59 AM (ZPmq2)

496 It's not stop-motion but my favorite cartoon as a kid was Clutch Cargo. They superimposed the voice-over actors lips on the cartoon characters. Hilarious! But nobody remembers that one so I'm alone in my humorous memories.

Posted by: RockyLombo'sPancreaus at February 17, 2019 04:53 PM (Tjmdo)

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