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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 13, 2018 10:13:52 GMT -8
"Did you f**k my wife?, Did you f**k my wife?" (over and over again), banging his head against the wall in the jail cell repeatedly, etc. I'm sure it's an accurate-enough depiction of La Motta, but I just don't find it the least bit interesting. But it's fine that you, and many others, do.
And that's all that you'll get from me on the subject.
It's 2018, baby. An opinion-free zone.
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Post by guttersnipe on Jan 13, 2018 10:27:57 GMT -8
Beyond all political and social ties and leanings (and I should imagine I can be successfully labelled as belonging to a few), I'd like to think that first-and-foremost I'm a pacifist. I think that the moment that a discussion of anything (especially the arts) enters the field of active irritation, there's little point it taking it any further without causing discomfort, which I gather has happened here. I genuinely didn't want to bring up La La Land myself because we've done that dance before but I guess it's kinda inevitable when discussing a film like The Artist, especially as I had done so myself this time last year. I think it's fair to say that this issue hasn't transpired solely because of CT (this remains probably the calmest forum I've ever seen) but it's no doubt created a last straw. I understand your guardedness but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I implore you not to vanish altogether. Besides, it's nearly Oscar season (!) And lastly, if the U.S. can't sort out the mess it's put itself in, it makes me all the more glad I live north of the border. But until the Big Orange Menace is out of the picture, I'm done discussing that as well. A sound idea. I thankfully sidestepped a lot of the election year business voluntarily, but I've paid so little attention to his misbehaviour since anyway because I'm frankly just waiting for the bombshell reveal or lunatic soundbite that finally packs his bags. I think I've become increasingly disenchanted about the US anyway over the last ten years or so, and thanks to me being European and his "America First" ideology, he's relatively easy to ignore (he just cancelled a state visit here). If he's there the whole term, then that distance will simply have to be maintained.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 13, 2018 10:56:54 GMT -8
This little conversation of ours was most definitely not "the last straw". If anything, it's probably Film Twitter and particularly all this political hatemongering in the past 18 months that's done me in. Your points about movies are, by-and-large, well-reasoned and argued, even if I don't agree with their ultimate position at times. You're a very bright guy, and you've watched enough movies, and are knowledgable enough about film history and culture, that you really should be a film critic: it's a shame that, in most cases, that job doesn't pay much (if at all). I don't really feel I have much to offer in this regard: I've probably seen a wider variety of films than ~80% of the general population, but I don't feel strongly enough about things to want to always have a perspective at the ready. There's just too much snark and cynicism out there, and it's grinding me down, is all. I just want to let people enjoy whatever they enjoy, and by stepping back, I may be able to allow myself to do the same in the future.
Since when do you care about Oscar season, though? Particularly given it's general aversion (outside of one category) to world cinema? One would think you'd care as much about that as you do Rotten Tomatoes...
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 13, 2018 16:31:34 GMT -8
I hope you won't completely avoid sharing your opinions here, J.C. At the very least, I hope you're still willing to respond to others' opinions about pop culture, both past and present. I mean, I've still got like 75 more films to watch for this thread, and it's good to gain some outside perspective.
Sure, lots of sites and forums may be intolerant over differing opinions, but I like to think that CT is not one of those forums. It's always a place to talk about good (or bad) TV, film, book, video games, and so forth.
(If it's any help, I will continue to do my best to help the U.S. sort out its current mess.)
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 13, 2018 16:53:50 GMT -8
It's not really about intolerant opinions per se (people with those are easy enough to avoid), but more just not being able to absorb something without constantly considering what I'm gonna say about it, or rate it, later (while I'm still watching it). And quite frankly, for me, the vast majority of films fall into the 2 1/2-to-3 1/2-Star (out of 5) range, rendering grading relatively ineffectual and pointless. And given that you're watching films from years ago, I can't really support my opinions all that well when I can't recall specific elements about things, because it's been too long since I've seen them. Perhaps I'll continue to track what I watch on Letterboxd, but I'm not giving star-ratings to movies anymore. I think the last post I make there will just be my Top 10 of 2017 (once I've seen a few more key films), and then I'm just gonna call it a day.
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Post by unkinhead on Jan 13, 2018 16:58:05 GMT -8
"Did you f**k my wife?, Did you f**k my wife?" (over and over again), banging his head against the wall in the jail cell repeatedly, etc. I'm sure it's an accurate-enough depiction of La Motta, but I just don't find it the least bit interesting. But it's fine that you, and many others, do. And that's all that you'll get from me on the subject. It's 2018, baby. An opinion-free zone. Gotcha. The former is probably my favorite scene in the film, and the latter is up there as well. I liked the increasing paranoia of which the former is the climax of which, and the latter is a more tragic representation of his anger "I'm not an animal". But to each his own.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 13, 2018 17:01:49 GMT -8
I guess you have a higher tolerance for -- wait for it -- "toxic masculinity", Unk. (That's a joke, BTW, not an official opinion.)
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Post by unkinhead on Jan 13, 2018 20:30:47 GMT -8
Yeah in the context of Raging Bull I pretty much love the toxic masculinity.
It's SO R-E-A-L
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Post by guttersnipe on Jan 14, 2018 3:00:28 GMT -8
you really should be a film critic It has been suggested to me,though I should imagine it'd be difficult landing a job in that field without having done any form of formal film study. I'd also probably be required to watch anything that comes down the line, which obviously isn't in keeping with my own desires to watch what I want to (I remember Mark Kermode setting himself a challenge that he would quit his job if he saw ten films in 2009 that were worse than Bride Wars (the tally was close)) and I'm somewhat thin-skinned: in a world of mass social media, I'm not sure how I'd take to a group lambast for liking/disliking certain pictures. Since when do you care about Oscar season, though? Particularly given it's general aversion (outside of one category) to world cinema? One would think you'd care as much about that as you do Rotten Tomatoes... It's kinda funny; I'm invariably in disagreement with it all and find awards ceremonies self-congratulatory, and yet I always take interest in the Oscars. Back when I had Sky (2003-2011 or something) I would always stay up to watch the show (usually falling asleep around Best Sound Mixing) and be willing to talk about the results. They're always good for shining a light on how Hollywood operates, if nothing else.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 17, 2018 21:02:41 GMT -8
Gladiator (2000)
So here's a film that does a lot of things well - it's got a good cast, some cool action, and lavish production design. It recreates ancient Rome in a manner that can be best described as "beautifully grungy" (although HBO's Rome would later take takes that description up several notches). And it has a pretty strong Hans Zimmer score to top it all off.
There's just one problem: The entire story is beyond predictable.
Gladiator is three hours of good-looking visuals, all strung together in an incredibly by-the-numbers story that lumbers generically from one plot point to the next. Russell Crowe plays a reactionary character for much of the story, filling out the Moses role without betraying much distinctive personality. The romance between him and Connie Nielsen never connects, but it exists anyway, because there's gotta be a romance. Joaquin Phoenix is the generic villain, and Djimon Hounsou is the generic best friend. None of these characters ever do anything unusual or unexpected.
I don't necessarily mind predictability, so long as the story in question is told well. And Gladiator is told... reasonably well. But given the price tag on this film, and the talent both in front of and behind the camera, I was expecting the film to bring a little bit more to the picnic.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 17, 2018 22:37:55 GMT -8
Funny thing is, I remember Roger Ebert, in his 2-Star review, besmirching the film by comparing it to pro wrestling. But the weird thing in all of this is: Ebert was actually a big fan of pro wrestling, and appreciated the technical ability and charisma of many of its performers.
ETA: I just skimmed over his original review again, and notice that he wondered what a more "quirky" actor than Joaquin Phoenix would've done with the role. Bwahaha.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 18, 2018 6:20:33 GMT -8
I just checked out his review. Yeah, the "quirky" comment made my eyebrows raise. Phoenix probably wasn't the best choice for the role on a dramatic scale, but he certainly has no shortage of quirk.
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