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Post by B.E. on Jul 1, 2023 22:22:36 GMT
I hadn't seen Jaws since I was a kid, so I thought 4th of July weekend was the perfect time. Being that it's been so long since I'd seen it, and I only saw it once or twice, I had forgotten many of the details. While I enjoyed it, like I expected to (I'd rate it a 7/10), I was a little surprised that the 2nd victim was a young boy. Often in movies when a kid is in danger, they're usually spared and someone older meets their demise instead. I don't know, it just made me wonder if this was sort of unique to this movie, or if I'm overthinking it. I can't imagine audiences in 1975 were expecting that boy to be eaten whole by the shark - in front of everyone, including his mother - leaving just a huge pool of blood and his popped floatation device ( huh, I just realized I don't know what exactly to call them). Anyway, I'm sure the scene contributed to the horror factor of the movie, but even though I'd seen the movie before, and seen thousands of other movies since, I was still taken aback a little by that. Like, "I can't believe they actually did that!"
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Post by kds on Jul 2, 2023 1:18:21 GMT
Killing off a young kid isn't too unique (the original Frankenstein is the oldest example I can think of), but I do think it ups the intensity of a movie, giving the audience a feeling like "no one is safe."
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 2, 2023 18:12:07 GMT
This morning while getting ready to host family, I had this PBS documentary about George Wallace playing. Absolutely fascinating! It's a two-part, three-hour documentary that, by the look of it and some references to time, I'm guessing was produced in the late '90s or very early '00s.
I knew Wallace like I assume most of us do: the governor of Alabama who tried to keep the U of Alabama from desegregating, the governor at the time of "Bloody Sunday" and other civil rights strife in Alabama, and of course the third-party presidential candidate in 1968.
But there is a much more complex story, and of course, person, behind the surface level. Don't get me wrong, after watching the first half, I don't come out thinking he's an underappreciate American hero or anything. No, I still think he was a son of a b--actually, no, I ought not be slandering his mother. So I'll say I still think he was in many ways a pretty awful person, and he did a lot of damage to the country/society. However, I was surprised to learn that when his wife ran as governor in 1966 because Alabama law did permit governors to serve consecutive terms, she won not just a majority, but a black majority. That he (and she) invested dramatically in mental health care, in junior colleges and vocational/technical schools, and in public schools (including raising teachers' pay every year in his first term, as well as offering free textbooks). That he began his career as a liberal, somewhat progressive Democrat who was not apparently personally racist, and that he took on the blatantly racist rhetoric because it played well with the public. Let's just say I thought a lot about modern politics while watching.
I don't have time to watch Pt. II now, but I'll be watching it soon.
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Post by kds on Jul 18, 2023 12:43:18 GMT
I've been saying I was going to do it for years, but I've finally done it.
Last month, I decided to start watching Cheers from start to finish. The classic sitcom debuted when I was very young. And I think I only watched most of the final season in real time, while catching a lot of episodes in reruns, but even that was well over 20 years ago.
I've been saying for over ten years that I want to watch it from the beginning. Back then, I even priced the complete series on DVD (streaming wasn't really a thing at the time).
Granted, it's not a huge accomplishment or anything, but it's nice that I'm finally doing something I've been saying I was gonna do. I'm five episodes into Season Three right now (49 episodes into a 271 episode show).
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 18, 2023 12:45:49 GMT
What do you think of it? I've never revisited it, but I never understood what all the fuss was about at the time it ran. Then again, I was a kid, so maybe a lot of the humor went over my head.
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Post by kds on Jul 18, 2023 13:05:21 GMT
What do you think of it? I've never revisited it, but I never understood what all the fuss was about at the time it ran. Then again, I was a kid, so maybe a lot of the humor went over my head. I'm really enjoying it, but I do think some of the first season episodes aren't so great. But, it's not uncommon for great shows to not get off to stellar beginnings. Early episodes of Seinfeld and The Simpsons prove that. There's actually an episode from Season 1 that centers around homosexuality that, for an episode that aired in 1983, tackles the topic very well.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 21, 2023 13:02:57 GMT
Tonight the Barbie movie opens in theaters. I've already been sick of it for weeks!
I'm old, I'm a straight guy, whatever, but I just don't get it. Movies based on toys strike me as even dumber than those based on video games or comics (neither of which do I like, either). But then this one, Jesus...
First, I keep reading comments from people saying things like "finally, I can wear my pink clothes this summer!" and I think, wait, are people actually avoiding wearing or doing things they like just because there isn't a corresponding fashion of the moment? That's absurd!
Second, I have heard several reviews trying desperately to make this politically correct, woke, whatever you want to call it. Trying to square the circle: how can we pretend this is about female empowerment when it's based on the opposite? How can we pretend this is anti-capitalist when the movie is based on a children's toy, and it's supported by a massive marketing blitz? What about those awful men who run Mattel? (How do we know they're awful? Because they're rich men!) It's all just absurd. I don't care if the movie has a few one-liners or plot lines that are meta commentary on these topics: it doesn't matter. Is Barbie played by a fat, middle-aged woman? Nope. Is empty style the point? Yep. This discussion is like trying to justify wearing blood diamonds, or sweatshop clothes, etc. (though on a different level).
Between the official marketing and the unofficial tie-ins (I've heard of boutique donuts and ice cream flavors, Barbie-themed pub crawls, parties, etc.), it's just the worst. But trying to make it "OK" is worse yet! At least recognize what it is: a big, bright, shiny commercial full of beautiful people that cost a fortune to make and will rake in an even bigger one. It's not championing feminism, it's not dismantling the patriarchy, it's not undermining capitalism.
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Post by kds on Jul 21, 2023 14:12:47 GMT
Oh good, another random summer movie based on a beloved entity is being used for political agendas again.
That worked out so well for Paul Feig's Ghostbusters.
These people need to chill. Just let a movie be a movie.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jul 21, 2023 15:16:25 GMT
Apparently, there's a trend out there called Barbenheimer where you see the Barbie movie and Oppenheimer back to back, if for no other reason than they are completely different movies. I'm looking forward to Oppenheimer, and I suppose I'd see Barbie if the fiancée wants me to go. I still haven't seen Indiana Jones, which I was looking forward to the most, but hasn't received the most favorable reviews.
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Post by kds on Jul 21, 2023 15:23:17 GMT
To be honest, I don't really have any interest in either of the movies opening this weekend. I do want to check out Indiana Jones, but I'm fine with waiting until it's available to watch at home.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 21, 2023 15:33:31 GMT
I saw Indiana Jones on Sunday and enjoyed it. I think it was a fine addition to the franchise and a solid way to end things. Two of the three criticisms I’d heard didn’t bother me at all, in fact, I liked it. The third, I get, but I think was exaggerated. I realize I’m probably being too cryptic to follow.
While I was there, I saw the trailer for Barbie. I can’t say I noticed anything political, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were in the movie.
Next up is Mission Impossible, then I’ve probably hit my quota of movie theater trips for the year.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 21, 2023 15:41:23 GMT
While I was there, I saw the trailer for Barbie. I can’t say I noticed anything political, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were in the movie. To be clear, a lot of my rant on those fronts was based on an NPR review/discussion of it-- they were trying to make it fit into their ideals, presumably because they liked it, and were uncomfortable liking it--though they did reference what I think may be more passing or brief moments in the movie itself. I think it's at the level of self-parody or occasional meta commentary on itself. But I am not saying that's what the movie generally is. I don't know, and at least I didn't get that impression.
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Post by kds on Jul 24, 2023 12:25:24 GMT
While I was there, I saw the trailer for Barbie. I can’t say I noticed anything political, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were in the movie. To be clear, a lot of my rant on those fronts was based on an NPR review/discussion of it-- they were trying to make it fit into their ideals, presumably because they liked it, and were uncomfortable liking it--though they did reference what I think may be more passing or brief moments in the movie itself. I think it's at the level of self-parody or occasional meta commentary on itself. But I am not saying that's what the movie generally is. I don't know, and at least I didn't get that impression. From what I read (based on a meme that was shared by one of my less reasonable Facebook associates who I'm happy to say is not related to me by blood), Barbie is apparently part of a Hollywood agenda a brainwash our children.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 24, 2023 13:07:49 GMT
To be clear, a lot of my rant on those fronts was based on an NPR review/discussion of it-- they were trying to make it fit into their ideals, presumably because they liked it, and were uncomfortable liking it--though they did reference what I think may be more passing or brief moments in the movie itself. I think it's at the level of self-parody or occasional meta commentary on itself. But I am not saying that's what the movie generally is. I don't know, and at least I didn't get that impression. From what I read (based on a meme that was shared by one of my less reasonable Facebook associates who I'm happy to say is not related to me by blood), Barbie is apparently part of a Hollywood agenda a brainwash our children. Well, I suppose there is one Barbie "brainwashing" agenda, though I don't think it's much of a secret: "buy more Barbie stuff." But let me guess, the person on Facebook was more of the "they're trying to turn our kids into communist, white-man hating gays" kind of conspiracist...
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Post by kds on Jul 24, 2023 13:09:29 GMT
From what I read (based on a meme that was shared by one of my less reasonable Facebook associates who I'm happy to say is not related to me by blood), Barbie is apparently part of a Hollywood agenda a brainwash our children. Well, I suppose there is one Barbie "brainwashing" agenda, though I don't think it's much of a secret: "buy more Barbie stuff." But let me guess, the person on Facebook was more of the "they're trying to turn our kids into communist, white-man hating gays" kind of conspiracist... It's also "anti Christian" and "pro gay" somehow.
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