Octopus Overlords

Mention of Abe Vigoda reminded me that I finally watched Godfather II and III after re-watching part I for the first time since seeing it in my teens twenty years ago. I couldn't really appreciate it back then. I'm not sure how completing the series eluded me for so long, as I made a point of viewing many notable films in my early twenties.

I certainly see how parts I and II laid the groundwork for modern mafia/gangster films and television. It was especially interesting after watching Sopranos for the first time a few years ago. It was terrifying to think that a real life mafioso nterceded on Al Martino's behalf to get him his role.

Part III really was a clusterfuck though. (I watched the Coda cut.) It felt like Pacino was playing a completely different character. I've always been a fan of both his early and late career, but it's amazing how much he changed in fifteen years. Much of the plot of III seemed ludicrous, but it was interesting to see how much cinema transformed between the early 70s and late 80s. I didn't find Sofia Coppola's role as distracting as I expected from everything I'd heard, but she was definitely grievously overmatched. She sure was alluring though.

I read how important it was to Coppola and Puzo that the story be authentically Italian, but it amuses me that so many of the main characters weren't. I enjoyed most of the characters, but I honestly wish some of them had been more developed (perhaps an odd perception considering the series's gargantuan runtime). It was disappointing that several actors didn't reprise their roles in the latter films.

I also watched the Coda cut a while back. I had hoped it would help tone down some of the ridiculousness of III, but sadly it did not. I just feel like Coppola was phoning it in for the third entry.

It sure was convenient they had orange juice and candy at hand when Michael went into diabetic shock while visiting the pope-to-be.

I'd also love to get my hands on Eli Wallach's nerverending, loaves-and-fishes cannolis.

Y'all were right about "The Watcher," btw. The first few episodes set up a decent, Agatha Christie-style whodunnit where everybody's a suspect. But halfway through it veers into absurdity and goes completely off the rails by the end. Not worth watching.

Finally saw Idiocracy. I thought it was very creative and visually it was fantastic. But like Office Space, I feel it's overrated and maybe hasn't aged so well. The internet's favourite assertion "who knew Idiocracy was a documentary LOL LOL!" remains... stupid. I think some of the satire was fresh for a mainstream film, but it didn't have much nuance. Ironically, it feels like sanitized satire for the average intellect. (Not throwing stones... I'm a big fan of the modern seasons of Beavis and Butt-Head.) Some elements of the plot and setting were illogical and contradictory, but as a comedy I don't judge that too harshly. Dax Shepard stole the show.

I think Sorry to Bother You accomplishes this film's goals much more astutely with a more developed social conscience (though it benefits from a further decade of social evolution). It does crib the "kicked in the balls" show joke, but I suspect that's either homage or parallel inspiration.

I've been a fan of Dax Shepard's for ages. He's just so damn goofy and fun in his public appearances. I mean, how can you not wanna grab a beer with a guy who designs THIS thing on Top Gear America?

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 2:28 pm The internet wants Matt Berry to replace Matt Lucas on ‘The Great British Bake Off’

That would be fantastic. I enjoyed Matt Lucas and was sad to hear he wasn't coming back.

"Bakers! You have 5 minutes... before I tell you that you have 15 minutes left!"

Him and Noel seemed to really enjoy themselves.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a moving, haunting, hilarious, puzzling, and existentially horrifying film. I heartily recommend it. It's streaming on Disney+ in Canada and HBO Max in the US.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan. Music by Carter Burwell, which I'm surprised I didn't notice.

I wanted something a little darker, so I tried Salem on Hulu. I've watched three or four episodes, and it's just not working for me. Has anyone watched it? Is it worth continuing?

Sudy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:33 am The Banshees of Inisherin is a moving, haunting, hilarious, puzzling, and existentially horrifying film. I heartily recommend it. It's streaming on Disney+ in Canada and HBO Max in the US.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan. Music by Carter Burwell, which I'm surprised I didn't notice.

I’ve been dying to see this. Thanks for the reminder.

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Dec 27, 2022 9:17 pm

Sudy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:33 am The Banshees of Inisherin is a moving, haunting, hilarious, puzzling, and existentially horrifying film. I heartily recommend it. It's streaming on Disney+ in Canada and HBO Max in the US.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan. Music by Carter Burwell, which I'm surprised I didn't notice.

I’ve been dying to see this. Thanks for the reminder.

We really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended. Not sure I'd go as far as "existentially horrifying" , but it definitely got a lot darker than expected. I continued to think about it for a while (i.e. days) afterwards.

TheMix wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:01 pm We really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended. Not sure I'd go as far as "existentially horrifying" , but it definitely got a lot darker than expected. I continued to think about it for a while (i.e. days) afterwards.

Maybe it's just the frame of mind I've been in lately. Some articles and reviews I've read view the film as a fable. Themes standing out to me include chaos, the fragility of social networks, legacy, and the meaning of life (or lack thereof). I re-watched Barton Fink recently and as different as the story and setting are, it gave me kind of the same vibes. And then there are the final scenes at the water's edge. But it's not Lovecraftian, no. For that, see the masterwork The Lighthouse (2019).

Finished the first season of DS9. Glad that Vedek Winn doesn't look to stick around.

Can't tell if serious. Presuming not.

Sudy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:57 pm

TheMix wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:01 pm We really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended. Not sure I'd go as far as "existentially horrifying" , but it definitely got a lot darker than expected. I continued to think about it for a while (i.e. days) afterwards.

Maybe it's just the frame of mind I've been in lately. Some articles and reviews I've read view the film as a fable. Themes standing out to me include chaos, the fragility of social networks, legacy, and the meaning of life (or lack thereof). I re-watched Barton Fink recently and as different as the story and setting are, it gave me kind of the same vibes. And then there are the final scenes at the water's edge. But it's not Lovecraftian, no. For that, see the masterwork The Lighthouse (2019).

If you have amc+ or shudder, and you haven’t already seen it, I think you’d like Spring. It’s Lovecraft if Lovecraft wrote a romantic movie. It’s by one of my absolute favorite filmmaking duos, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. They’re the brains behind the insanely great Resolution and its follow up film, The Endless. They also made the almost as good Synchronic.

The only one of theirs I've seen is The Endless, and I enjoyed it a lot. Synchronic is also in my queue. I'll check out the others, thanks!

Watch Resolution, if you can find it. It’s a prequel to The Endless. They both stand on their own, but you’ll understand more about one of the scenes from The Endless if you watch Resolution.

I just watched The Foreigner on Netflix and like it quite a lot. I've only seen Jackie Chan in comedy/action films previously, so this was quite a change in pace.

I recently saw Talk Radio (1988, Eric Bogosian, Oliver Stone) for the first time. It's pretty impressive, though the ending (while inspired by a true story) could be seen coming a mile away. Maybe that's just because stuff like that is less shocking after the past thirty years of film.

One thing I can't imagine is permitting some of the language/racial epithets on the air of a commercial radio station, especially as they planned to take the show national. No idea whether that's true to the talk shows of that era that inspired it.

I can't believe that's Michael Wincott!

I'm really, really frustrated that I can't figure out which industrial song samples the dialogue "This country is rotten to the core and somebody better do something about it!" Front Line Assembly? Ministry?

Sudy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 8:03 pm Can't tell if serious. Presuming not.

Not.

If you have any affinity for documentaries, watch Good Night, Oppy on Amazon. The story of twin rovers Spirit and especially Opportunity, whose 90-sol mission lasted 15 years, personalizes the robots and the people behind them. You'll get a little Mars dust in your eyes.

Wanted to watch Farscape again because I have all four seasons saved in my Prime list. When I tried to start it I noticed there's no Play button because "This video is not available in your area." Grrr. Turns out it's free on Tubi. The video quality is higher than I expected, and I can put up with two randomly intruding commercial interruptions per episode. First two episodes down, 80+ left to go!

Saw The Green Knight (2021) and it's fantastic. The ending in particular. I had no knowledge of the legend it's based on, so researching it afterward was interesting. As well as the reasoning behind Lowery's version of the tale. A lot of great performances in this one. Patel's superb. Though, and not to be a prude, but I didn't need to see his character's bodily fluids. (Not referring to blood, sweat, tears, or urine....)

Finally saw The Last Duel. It's an amazing and devastating film. I love Gladiator, but it's a pulp by comparison. IMO this is Scott's best film after Alien and Blade Runner. (Honourable mention to The Martian and, of course, Gladiator.)

I generally don't much care for Affleck and his character's a slime, but he's so, so well played with the exception of when Affleck slips out of his accent. Everyone's amazing in this though.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 12:15 pm I can see why it was not a success, since you have to sit through the same story three times and it wears a bit thin. The conclusion was somewhat satisfying but wasn't worth waiting for.

I've suffered that fatigue in other multiple-perspective films, but I really didn't have that problem here. Scenes or the lead-ins to scenes are repeated, but the altered nuances add so much to the experience. The difference may be as small as a facial expression, but it changes the entire meaning of the scene. This is a film with something to say, and it does so eloquently. It's a long film but I never found myself becoming bored or impatient. The despicable, selfish characters remind me of a realistic Game of Thrones, only the story has a conscience, and a heart.

Farscape is still as good as it was 23 years ago, and they haven't even introduced Gigi Edgley yet. If memory serves me correctly she kicks it up to 9 tentacles.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:05 pm The Menu

Up on HBO Max. Watched it today and enjoyed it. Ralph Fiennes is excellent and really makes the film what it is.

Oooh, I've been wanting to watch this one. Thanks for the heads up!

Glad to help.

TheMix wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:01 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Dec 27, 2022 9:17 pm

Sudy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:33 am The Banshees of Inisherin is a moving, haunting, hilarious, puzzling, and existentially horrifying film. I heartily recommend it. It's streaming on Disney+ in Canada and HBO Max in the US.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan. Music by Carter Burwell, which I'm surprised I didn't notice.

I’ve been dying to see this. Thanks for the reminder.

We really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended. Not sure I'd go as far as "existentially horrifying" , but it definitely got a lot darker than expected. I continued to think about it for a while (i.e. days) afterwards.

Wife and I watched this over the weekend and we both really enjoyed it. The performances were great and the mixture of the heavy seriousness with unexpected hilarity was fecking brilliant. Also, I say fecking now. Like, all the fecking time.

It did get me thinking about a recent article I read about the state of movies and seeing them in theaters. The gist of it was that ticket prices are so expensive now compared with historical past levels that people are unwilling to take a chance on something unknown. They go for the big blockbuster and/or franchise installment instead. I'd add that the value add of seeing something like Banshees in a theater vs. at home isn't that great compared to the lastest Marvel entry.

Saw See How They Run (2022), spoof whodunnit with Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, and David Oyelowo. Perhaps it was just the mood I was in, and I love Sam Rockwell, but I just couldn't get into it. I loved the setting (1950s London) and there were some genuinely funny moments, but most of it fell flat for me. Knives Out and its sequel are much better films in this class.

Rented Upgrade on Amazon Prime:



I had held off thinking it was based on the Blake Crouch novel, which I did not find impressive. But it's from 2018 and it's stand alone. This movie manages to be both hilarious and chilling at the same time, like if Ex Machina and John Wick had a baby. It does not pull any punches.

I've been watching Perry Mason for the last week. Today for something different I watched Murder She Wrote. I haven't made up my mind about continuing to watch it or not.

Prisoners of the Ghostland is a completely bonkers, post-apocalyptic fever dream. Taken as a traditional narrative it's bizarre and inane. Viewed as a dream, it's bizarre and brilliant. It's bursting with colour and surreal imagery. If you're a fan of Terry Gilliam or La Cité des enfants perdus (AKA The City of Lost Children), you may enjoy this.

The trailer kind of presents it as something it's not but it contains examples of the movie's fantastic visuals.

YellowBrickRoad was worth watching in an unsettling way. Too bad there wasn't a Kubrick around to shoot it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeGMxE2vYlg

Decided to give The English Patient a watch, as I've come to reconsider Ralph Fiennes. As the film came out when I was 20, it was definitely not in my wheelhouse of films in which I would have been interested, and my viewing does nothing to prove that, at that time, that was the right call for me.

I'm certainly no Elaine Benes to say that I disliked it. I can see that it's a very well-put-together story and film, but 26 years later, I don't think it will stick with me as a film that rates amongst my favorites.

I'm still watching Farscape on Tubi and will be for some time yet thanks to 22-episode seasons. It aged pretty well within its freak-of-the-week format. Rigel is the best frelling muppet ever.

Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 2:58 am I'm still watching Farscape on Tubi and will be for some time yet thanks to 22-episode seasons. It aged pretty well within its freak-of-the-week format. Rigel is the best frelling muppet ever.

I always meant to watch that just so I could identify with some of the Gencon freaks that apparently dressed as them.

That reminds me, I need to bring my kids to Gencon before my wife moves the lot of us to the Philippines. Since that could happen next year, this year might be the time to do it...

Sudy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 28, 2023 9:10 pm Prisoners of the Ghostland is a completely bonkers, post-apocalyptic fever dream. Taken as a traditional narrative it's bizarre and inane. Viewed as a dream, it's bizarre and brilliant. It's bursting with colour and surreal imagery. If you're a fan of Terry Gilliam or La Cité des enfants perdus (AKA The City of Lost Children), you may enjoy this.

The trailer kind of presents it as something it's not but it contains examples of the movie's fantastic visuals.

I enjoyed it, but nothing...nothing...compares to the over the top insanity of Mandy. I love the sheer audacity of that movie.

The Ark is….oof. Even the theme song sounds like it was taken from a bad 80s science fiction show. I made it to the halfway point before I realized it wasn’t going to get any better.