The Crap We Watch

Writing is great therapy, isn't it?

Memento was one of those movies I wanted to see when it came out, but lost track of it afterward. (If I remember correctly, it came out around the time when I met a rather significant person in my life) I think I'll have to look for it.



Memento is one of my all time favorite movies. It's written, directed and acted brilliantly. I think I like just about everything Chris Nolan has done. I'm pretty sure he wrote the story for Man of Steel, the new Superman movie. So maybe this one won't suck?

And speaking of brilliantly written films ... I am patiently awaiting more films written by Charlie Kaufman. Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind .... some of my very favorites. I love nothing better than a truly original script.
 
Sinister

Last night, me, my wife and a friend watched the movie Sinister. I love good thriller/horror movies, the ones that "get" you not because of any amount of gore or sudden on-screen visual flashes that make you jump, but because they give you just enough sensory information to allow your mind to put the pieces together. Sinister is just such a movie.

Warning: the following includes spoilers.

I won't go through the entire film. It's moody and dark (maybe a bit too dark, as in, the screen is literally too dark for much of the movie) and there's some pretty decent character development. Also, you see the end coming about halfway through, you just don't want it to happen. You keep waiting for some reprieve, some way of breaking the chain.

As a father, the movie made me squirm. I normally don't go for "evil children" movies because they're usually so hokey and nothing since the original Omen movie has gotten it right. Sinister, however, doesn't paint the children as being evil; they're soulless, and corrupted, and what they do, they do because they've found a different parental figure. It's chilling. It's more than that: it's unsettling.
 
Memento is one of my all time favorite movies. It's written, directed and acted brilliantly. I think I like just about everything Chris Nolan has done. I'm pretty sure he wrote the story for Man of Steel, the new Superman movie. So maybe this one won't suck?

And speaking of brilliantly written films ... I am patiently awaiting more films written by Charlie Kaufman. Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind .... some of my very favorites. I love nothing better than a truly original script.

Being John Malkovich was darkly hysterical. My wife doesn't like it, but I do. ;)
 
Last night, me, my wife and a friend watched the movie Sinister. I love good thriller/horror movies, the ones that "get" you not because of any amount of gore or sudden on-screen visual flashes that make you jump, but because they give you just enough sensory information to allow your mind to put the pieces together. Sinister is just such a movie.

Warning: the following includes spoilers.

I won't go through the entire film. It's moody and dark (maybe a bit too dark, as in, the screen is literally too dark for much of the movie) and there's some pretty decent character development. Also, you see the end coming about halfway through, you just don't want it to happen. You keep waiting for some reprieve, some way of breaking the chain.

As a father, the movie made me squirm. I normally don't go for "evil children" movies because they're usually so hokey and nothing since the original Omen movie has gotten it right. Sinister, however, doesn't paint the children as being evil; they're soulless, and corrupted, and what they do, they do because they've found a different parental figure. It's chilling. It's more than that: it's unsettling.



That's on my list to see. I'm always in search of good horror films, the ones that scare you (or scar you, ha) psychologically ... not just visually. I saw Mama in the theater, and though it was not as good as it could have been, it was pretty creepy. It wins awards in the "creepy children" category, for sure.
 
That's on my list to see. I'm always in search of good horror films, the ones that scare you (or scar you, ha) psychologically ... not just visually. I saw Mama in the theater, and though it was not as good as it could have been, it was pretty creepy. It wins awards in the "creepy children" category, for sure.

Just wait til you see Sinister. It's a film designed to drain the blood out of every parent.
 
Sounds right up my alley. ;)

I think it's On Demand. I'll look it up soon.

It is, at least on DiSH. We rented it for about 6 bucks. Hell of a lot cheaper for three people to watch it that way than to spend $40 in a theater.
 
Huey "American Psycho" Lewis

Heard about this on Sirius XM's Hair Nation and had to look it up. If you've never seen the movie American Psycho, it probably won't be as funny.

:D
 
The next Superman movie is coming out in just a little over a month. I'm hoping this franchise fares better than Bryan Singer's attempt. That Brandon Rousch is no longer Superman isn't surprising, but it is too bad; he was an excellent fill-in for Reeves' iconic portrayal. Henry Cavill, on the other hand . . . not sure how well he's going to do. He looks a little too slender, although he seems to have at least a spark of that Reeves charisma.

With Wonder Woman and Flash movies supposedly on the way as well, it would seem DC is trying to follow Marvel Studios' lead and build up toward a Justice League film in the next few years. I hope they don't botch it up.

Superman: The Man of Steel

The thing about the various trailers I've seen so far is that this film seems to be following the John Byrne redesigned Superman from 1988, in that Supes doesn't go straight from small town nobody to the red cape. He spends about a decade traveling the world, saving people here and there anonymously, before putting on the costume and revealing himself to the world.
 
Do I remember right that STALIN comes from the "Man of Steel" root in translation?
 
Do I remember right that STALIN comes from the "Man of Steel" root in translation?

Yes, the name Stalin is from the Russian word meaning "steel." He used it as a pen name before coming to power in Russia.

Don't think there's a connection there, though. ;)
 
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Check this out, if you're a Joss Whedon fan. Actors from every single one of his shows! It's like a Joss Whedon smorgasbord!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmZc8uoEbo


And slyc, I hope you're right about Man of Steel. It looks pretty good. I didn't read those comics, but my brother in law did, and he seems pretty hopeful ...
 
Check this out, if you're a Joss Whedon fan. Actors from every single one of his shows! It's like a Joss Whedon smorgasbord!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmZc8uoEbo


And slyc, I hope you're right about Man of Steel. It looks pretty good. I didn't read those comics, but my brother in law did, and he seems pretty hopeful ...

Interesting, although I wish I'd seen Jewel Staite in there somewhere. ;)

Branagh's Much Ado was pretty damn good. The man definitely has an ear for Shakespeare. But this looks like it's being pretty faithful, and I love that Whedon's kept the original dialogue. I have to say I liked the Romeo & Juliet with DiCaprio and Claire Danes, because they used the original dialogue in a modern setting. The Mercutio in that movie was perfect; best interpretation of a Shakespeare character ever.

So, we've got a Joss Whedon film of a Shakespearean play, set in a sort of mash-up time period that reminds me of Gatsby, Real Housewives, and LA Law . . . .

Interesting. I think I'll have to see it.
 
Weird or What?

So, William Shatner has a new show. It's called "Weird or What?" and is basically a collection of re-hashed urban legends and cryptozoic sightings. Bigfoot, the Mothman, alien abductions, and so forth. Nothing really spectacular, and I'm not really sure why Shatner would want to be involved in it. The show does very little to shed light on any of these stories; in that vein, it's lot like his old pal Nimoy's "In Search Of..." from the seventies and early eighties.

I do have to hand it to the guy, though. For being eighty-frickin'-two years old, he's looking pretty damn good.
 
Being John Malkovich was darkly hysterical. My wife doesn't like it, but I do. ;)

I have to smile when I read your line. I recall the chaos when it started.
Bless you both.


So, William Shatner has a new show. . . . .
I do have to hand it to the guy, though. For being eighty-frickin'-two years old, he's looking pretty damn good.

I hope I look as fit when I'm that age.


BTW. I've never been one to think that a particular director is worth watching just because of the name. That "Much ado. ." trailer did not particularly attract my attention; rather, I was put off it by the music.

But when it appears on video or on TV, I'll probably watch. I am not familiar with the play (ignorance is bliss) ;)
 
I guess I'm the only unabashed television viewer. The shows I watch religiously include:

GoT
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Dr. Who
The Americans
Boardwalk Empire
True Blood
The Newsroom
The Walking Dead
Falling Skies
Warehouse 13
Dexter
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Archer
American Dad
South Park
Modern Family
The Big Bang Theory
The New Girl
Raising Hope
Parks and Recreation
Being Human
Lost Girl
Continuum
Hell on Wheels
Homeland
American Horror Story

The dearly departed:
Fringe
Battlestar Galactica
Torchwood
Farscape
Firefly
X-Files
24
Lost
Eureka
Sanctuary

Resurrected:
Arrested Development

I won't even go into the crap on my guilty pleasures list.

Some new shows I picked up in the last two weeks:

Top of the Lake
Rectify
Orphan Black
 
BTW. I've never been one to think that a particular director is worth watching just because of the name. That "Much ado. ." trailer did not particularly attract my attention; rather, I was put off it by the music.

But when it appears on video or on TV, I'll probably watch. I am not familiar with the play (ignorance is bliss) ;)

Joss Whedon is a rarity. I think part of the reason he has as many fans is because of the whole fiasco surrounding Firefly. When it was canceled, Whedon emerged as the underdog screwed over by Big Bad Fox. He has great talent as a writer and director and has a knack for giving equal screen time to every important character in a show or movie. Just watching The Avengers is an excellent illustration of that. I never felt that the movie had a single main character and all the rest were there for support; everyone had their moment in the sun.

The thing about Much Ado is that it looks at love and courtship from opposite ends. There's the sweet, shy young couple (Claudio and Hero) who can't stop making goo-goo eyes at each other, and the older, cynical couple (Beatrice and Benedick) who won't admit they're actually in love. Throughout the courtships of the two couples, there's the villain, Don John, who tricks Claudio into thinking Hero has been unfaithful, and she gets jilted at the altar. On the flip side is the other couple who, despite arguing all throughout the play, are eventually tricked into proclaiming their love.

The genius of the play lies in the dialogue and the characters. Benedick and Beatrice have a lot of good quipps and snaps at each other and just about everyone else, and they're really the main entertainment of the story. I can see how Whedon, being a master of modern dialogue, would be attracted to Much Ado, which shows Shakespeare's mastery of the dialogue he used. The fact that Whedon isn't changing it -- just the context -- makes it both interesting and challenging.

Seeing -- or at least reading -- the play first would probably help quite a bit, but I think the movie could be enjoyed without having done so.
 
Some new shows I picked up in the last two weeks:

Top of the Lake
Rectify
Orphan Black

I've been seeing trailers for Rectify, and have caught part of an episode of Orphan Black. They both have interesting premises, but I doubt I have time to add anything more to my short list of shows to watch.
 
I've been seeing trailers for Rectify, and have caught part of an episode of Orphan Black. They both have interesting premises, but I doubt I have time to add anything more to my short list of shows to watch.

Rectify is intense, but slow. It is what I expected it to be. Orphan Black, on the other hand, is a major surprise. Every episode moves along at brisk pace. I didn't expect much from it, but it has been amazingly good. I rather expected it to be about as good as a middling Syfy channel show, but it is so much better.

It is tough to find time for new shows, especially with the NBA and NHL playoffs both in full swing. Fortunately, some of my regular shows are going on hiatus this month, leaving room for new pick ups. On Demand greatly helps, also.
 
Rectify is intense, but slow. It is what I expected it to be. Orphan Black, on the other hand, is a major surprise. Every episode moves along at brisk pace. I didn't expect much from it, but it has been amazingly good. I rather expected it to be about as good as a middling Syfy channel show, but it is so much better.

It is tough to find time for new shows, especially with the NBA and NHL playoffs both in full swing. Fortunately, some of my regular shows are going on hiatus this month, leaving room for new pick ups. On Demand greatly helps, also.

The impression I got from Rectify is that it's basically a character study. For something like that, I'd rather read a book than watch a movie.

Orphan Black definitely has that British dystopia feel to it, much like the original version of Being Human. But, maybe because I didn't watch the first episode, I couldn't get drawn into the characters.
 
America's Secret Slang

My wife and I watched several episodes of this new show on H2 tonight. I've always had an interest in etymology, so this was right up my alley. The show gives the origins (or, in many cases, the most likely origins) of some of our most common words and phrases. Some of them I already knew; a lot I did not.

The word Frontier, for example. I did not know it was composed of two words, front and tier, and meant a boundary between two countries. Now we use it to mean uncharted or barely-explored land.

Y'all. Like a lot of people, I merely thought it was a conjunction of you and all. But it's a little more than that, and dates back to 16th-century England, when 'ye' was the plural form of 'thou.' 'Ye all' became a conjunction used by the Scots-Irish, who brought it with them when they began immigrating to North America, and today is still used to denote plurality of people.

There were hundreds of them, and I couldn't possibly list them all. I'm glad we're recording this series, because I'll want to watch them again and again. If you have an interest in the origins of words and phrases, I highly recommend the show.
 
I'm rather surprised to see that my favourite import, NCIS, has not got much wordage. I think it is a very clever and well-performed show, and lately (for the UK, anyway) has had some damned good plots and interesting character development. And Cote de Pablo . . . . .

However, I watched a show last night that I caught part of a month or three ago, about the Challenger disaster, and Richard Feyneman.
It was beautifully produced and well-acted, telling the story of how the Committee set up to investigate that disaster behaved, and how the Prof got under the skin of the thing.
It was brilliant.
 
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