Raxivace's 2019 List of Movies or: (Goodbye to Neo-General Chat 3D)

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 5:27 pm

I saw all of the Harry Potters when they were new but haven't seen them since then. Those books and movies were certainly big at my school when I was young- I'll always remember one guy who was kind of a troublemaker but was so into reading the books that the only way our teacher could think to punish him was to take his Harry Potter books away lol.

The third Harry Potter movie in particular I wonder about since that's the one Cuaron directed IIRC. Really curious to know what that movie is like thinking about it as a Cuaron movie.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 7:55 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:I was going to wait until I read the other HP books before watching the rest but never got around to it. I never could quite get fully immersed into that world.

Have you seen Jackson's Hobbit films? They are not as good as LotR films, but they are quite good. Can't really remember some other films from the fantasy genre.

Have you seen All About Lily Chou-Chou from Iwai? I remember loving that.

Yes, I have. I've seen 6 of his films. They are all quite terrific. He is one of my favourite directors. His films are very poetic.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 8:03 pm

Raxivace wrote:The third Harry Potter movie in particular I wonder about since that's the one Cuaron directed IIRC. Really curious to know what that movie is like thinking about it as a Cuaron movie.

I think that Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the best directed Harry Potter movie. It has a kind of Antonioniesque vibe about it. I loved that. It used landscapes well to convey a kind of loneliness, isolation and desperation. Pretty sure Yates directed it.
As far as Prisoner of Azkaban is concerned, the last 30 minutes are riveting to watch (from since Hermione turns back time), but I didn't care much for rest of the movie.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:15 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:Recommendations... if I take out Swift my top 10 albums (from those artists) would probably look like this:

1. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

-Actually really close with Swift's Speak Now as my favorite album from that marathon. Really awesome blend of Prince, Bowie, OutKast, and other odd touches like film scores, all in a science fiction-y concept album. Insanely creative. More sonically original than Swift, but the songwriting isn't quite as strong.

2. Beyonce - Lemonade

-Last two Beyonce albums shocked the hell out of me for how artsy they were. Lemonade is really a tour-de-force of different styles, moods, attitudes. Her Self-Titled album is nearly as good. Both are worth hearing and seeing in their "visual album" form (she basically made music videos for every track).

3. Lady Gaga - Joanne

Gaga really is a force of nature. It's hard not to admire her balls-to-the-wall confidence with everything she does. It's close between Joanne and Born This Way as my favorite from her, but BTW is her neo-disco/electronic mode while Joanne is more organic and varied, which I appreciate a bit more.

4. Pink - Try This

Besides Swift, the most consistently good of all those I've heard. Every album (minus her first) is excellent and can be listened to in their entirety. I love Try This mostly for it's rockier vibe (I think it suits her), but I'm Not Dead is probably her best pure pop album.

5. Adele - 21

The hype is real for this one. I wasn't as big a fan of her first and last albums, but 21 is just great neo-soul music.

6. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*Mo*Tion

The most perfect 80s pastiche album I've heard, and it's catchy as hell from beginning to end. It's a bit on the bubblegum side, but if you can tolerate that, it's a fun listen.

7. Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

Probably the best vocalist out of everyone I heard, but her albums are inconsistent. Dangerous Woman is her best, though. I'm actually going to see her in May. :)

8. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

The most unique "sound" of anyone on this list. Actually, I say unique, but it's basically a modern-day take on Mazzy Star/Hope Sandoval. I have a feeling you'd really dig her (and Mazzy Star/Hope Sandoval) though. Listen to the track "Video Game" (which was her first big hit, and still one of her best)

9. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

OK, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Katy Perry is about as superficial/frivolous/substanceless as it gets, but she has a buttload of undeniably catchy songs, and this is her best album... though her best song is Thinking of You, which is the only one she has that can get me emotional.

10. Avril Lavigne - Let Go & Under My Skin

First two albums are great pop-punk, but everything after is really mediocre. I'd rather listen to Paramore in general, TBH, but Avril did it first.

Thanks, could be a place to start when I'm in the mood for pop. The three artists I'm most unfamiliar with are Janelle Monae, Carly Rae and Arian Grande.

And you're right of course, I totally do dig Lana del Ray's music. Her moody, low key songs are totally my cup of tea. I haven't explored her discography that well though. I know (and love) Video Games, in addition to a few others that became instant faves - Summertime Sadness, Blue Jeans, Born to Die, West Coast, Ultraviolence, Young & Beautiful - but need to give her stuff a proper listen. Same goes for Gaga and Pink, both of whom I quite like but whose albums I haven't heard beyond their singles. Where would you rank Pink's latest album in her discography?

I was similarly wowed by Beyonce's Lemonade when it came out. Amazing how she put it out all of a sudden and without any fanfare. Don't think I've heard her self-titled album.

I concur on Adele's 21. I wasn't impressed by the latest (although I do like the singles minus Hello), but nearly every song on 21 is just amazing.

I'll admit that I find Katy Perry to be kind of grating (and it has nothing to do with her feud with Swift

), but yes, Teenage Dream was pretty good. A song I like from that one - that gets lost amidst the more popular tracks, I think - is The One That Got Away. So catchy. Generally, I find her kind of schmaltzy though.

And ah, Avril Lavigne and I go way back. I've heard those albums more times than I can count. Shame that the quality went down afterwards, she had potential. So many great ones in the first two though. Just put on Nobody's Home, reminiscing about this album.

Jimbo wrote:I think in the end the only track I ended up completely skipping was End Game just 'cause I didn't like it. You can read the revised version I linked above (got it down to 1600 words).

All Too Well IS Swift's best. My God that song is greatness. "You call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here because I remember it all too well" is one of the greatest lyrics ever written, and that whole damn song is full of them. The fact that it hits the climax with the above is just perfect though. Watching her do it live on the Red Tour was intense as hell too. Cool thing about her live shows is that she often changes up her songs from how they are on the album, or mashes up a few together revealing certain thematic/tonal connections. I especially like her rock version of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together:
Better than the original, IMO.

Also, check out the Reputation Stadium Tour on Netflix (or torrent it) if you can. It's really spectacular. Best concert release I've seen ages.

The review looks sharper now, but I'm glad I got the unfiltered version, lol. More suitable for Swifties, that one.

Yeah, I was so happy to find that the Reputation tour video was on Netflix. I loved it, of course, and I also love how she has the artistry to switch things up and re-interpret her own work. I hadn't seen the rock version of WANEGBT, but it's great! A nice contrast to the original, which was more playful and joyous. In this one, she's still bitter and angry. I love how she incites the audience to scream with her, and then, as if in a quick moment of vulnerability, brings a crystal pure clarity to her voice when she sings "I used to think we were forever, ever".

You mentioned Speak Now as your favorite album from Swift? It's really hard for me to pick a favorite. I like her relatively innocent country/pop love songs from the early days, and I like her tongue in cheek banter in the different variants of pop she does now, but if I had to pick, I'd lean towards the latter. On that note, I love how in her last two albums, she turned the criticism and personal attacks she has received over the years into great, powerful, relevant music. Shake It Off was a fun screw-the-haters track, and Blank Space was a wonderful, delirious embrace of the crazy girlfriend persona her critics thinks she has. And Reputation builds on this with even greater confidence.

Jimbo wrote:On a side note, I know I recommended Talk Talk to you ages ago. I don't know if you ever checked them out, but I just found out Mark Hollis died a couple of days ago. Really bummed about hearing that. I'll have to go through their stuff again next time I get a chance. Those last two albums and his solo album are among the most spiritually transcendent music I've ever heard in any genre.

Man, when this news popped up on my newsfeed, you're the person I thought of. RIP.

I haven't heard his solo stuff yet (you didn't mention it at the time, I think), but I heard all of their albums once or twice and quite liked a few of their tracks. Songs off the top of my head that I stuck with me (not counting the super popular ones from their first two albums): Tomorrow Started, Living in Another World, New Grass, The Rainbow. I think I need to be in a certain mood to truly appreciate their experimental albums though. Maybe I should give them a listen with the NAD HP50s headphones I got my hands on a few months ago (thanks for the rec, btw!).

I'm listening to Eden right now, and totally digging it.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:17 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:
Derived Absurdity wrote:It's been a long time since I've seen Dogtooth, but I remember liking it a lot and currently have it on my list of favorite movies. What didn't you like about it?

I really hated The Lobster, though.
It's similarly been a long time for me, but I remember just thinking that it was trying really, really hard to be edgy, dark, and funny, and I just found it ridiculous. I've said before that dark comedies, quirky films, and edgy stuff tend to be a love/hate thing with me. That one landed on the hate side, but I couldn't give a concrete reason why without rewatching it.

It wasn't trying hard to be, it just was.

That being said, I'd like to hear your thoughts on Lobster when you do see it. DA liked Dogtooth but not Lobster. Maybe it can be the other way around for you.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:21 pm

Raxivace wrote:I saw all of the Harry Potters when they were new but haven't seen them since then. Those books and movies were certainly big at my school when I was young- I'll always remember one guy who was kind of a troublemaker but was so into reading the books that the only way our teacher could think to punish him was to take his Harry Potter books away lol.

The third Harry Potter movie in particular I wonder about since that's the one Cuaron directed IIRC. Really curious to know what that movie is like thinking about it as a Cuaron movie.

I'm going to disagree with Lyndon on this one and say that the Cuaron film is the best one of them all. In fact, it is the film that finally convinced me to read the books. None of the other Harry Potter movies come close in terms of how to visually interpret a book and put your own unique stamp on it, IMO. Cuaron's was the most imaginative and creative. I'd rate the rest all around a 6.

Disclaimer: I am a huge Cuaron fan.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:27 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:Besides the first two HP's I haven't seen any of these. I was going to wait until I read the other HP books before watching the rest but never got around to it. I never could quite get fully immersed into that world. Have you seen All About Lily Chou-Chou from Iwai? I remember loving that.

Read the books first. The books are good, and slowly become more mature and interesting as you progress. I didn't get immersed into it until I saw Cuaron's Azkaban; after that, I decided to read the books. The first two were a bit of a slog, but Rowling ups the pace from the third book on. It's almost as if as Harry Potter grew older, the ideas and thoughts presented in the books (as well as Rowling's prose) became richer and more developed too. It's all archetypal, but the world does become immersive and real. Or did, for me.

BTW, is Lily Chou-Chou the one about the two teenagers who develop a friendship via text messages? Full of sublime editing? Green landscapes? I think I've seen it, and I loved it too. Should see it again. Lyndon, which other Iwai films would you recommend?

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 2:55 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:I was going to wait until I read the other HP books before watching the rest but never got around to it. I never could quite get fully immersed into that world.
Have you seen Jackson's Hobbit films? They are not as good as LotR films, but they are quite good. Can't really remember some other films from the fantasy genre.

Have you seen All About Lily Chou-Chou from Iwai? I remember loving that.
Yes, I have. I've seen 6 of his films. They are all quite terrific. He is one of my favourite directors. His films are very poetic.

I saw the first Hobbit film but never got around to the other two. I didn't care much for the first, mainly because I felt it was really the wrong approach to turn The Hobbit into a LOTR-type epic. What made the book so special was how light, witty, and whimsical it is. There was a child-like quality to it that was completely absent in the films (and in Tolkien's LOTR trilogy, sadly).

Wow! I can't think of many films I've seen 6 times in general! Maybe some childhood favorites like Star Wars. I think that's the only film of his I've seen. I really should see more, I guess!

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 3:00 pm

maz89 wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:Besides the first two HP's I haven't seen any of these. I was going to wait until I read the other HP books before watching the rest but never got around to it. I never could quite get fully immersed into that world. Have you seen All About Lily Chou-Chou from Iwai? I remember loving that.
Read the books first. The books are good, and slowly become more mature and interesting as you progress. I didn't get immersed into it until I saw Cuaron's Azkaban; after that, I decided to read the books. The first two were a bit of a slog, but Rowling ups the pace from the third book on. It's almost as if as Harry Potter grew older, the ideas and thoughts presented in the books (as well as Rowling's prose) became richer and more developed too. It's all archetypal, but the world does become immersive and real. Or did, for me.

BTW, is Lily Chou-Chou the one about the two teenagers who develop a friendship via text messages? Full of sublime editing? Green landscapes? I think I've seen it, and I loved it too. Should see it again. Lyndon, which other Iwai films would you recommend?

I'll probably get around to the books eventually. I mean, I rather liked the first three anyway, but I find it hard not to get burnt out on long series like that in general. I did like the third book best, fwiw.

Yep, that's Lily Chou-Chou. I also remember it for being so music-centric. For some reason the Debussy/Lily comparison has stuck with me.

maz89 wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:
Derived Absurdity wrote:It's been a long time since I've seen Dogtooth, but I remember liking it a lot and currently have it on my list of favorite movies. What didn't you like about it?

I really hated The Lobster, though.
It's similarly been a long time for me, but I remember just thinking that it was trying really, really hard to be edgy, dark, and funny, and I just found it ridiculous. I've said before that dark comedies, quirky films, and edgy stuff tend to be a love/hate thing with me. That one landed on the hate side, but I couldn't give a concrete reason why without rewatching it.
It wasn't trying hard to be, it just was. That being said, I'd like to hear your thoughts on Lobster when you do see it. DA liked Dogtooth but not Lobster. Maybe it can be the other way around for you.

I may even like Dogtooth more if I rewatched it. Those kinds of films tend to really be mood things. Lobster's on my list, though.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 4:40 pm

maz, I split the music talk into its own thread: http://forum.pittersplace.com/forum/vie ... 720#p26720

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 5:34 pm

maz89 wrote:Lyndon, which other Iwai films would you recommend?

Definitely 'Love Letter' and 'Swallowtail Butterfly'.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 5:59 pm

Holupaminute, Girlfriend Reviews released a movie review? Yes, and it's awesome!

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 6:54 pm

Hilarious! Not a huge Star Wars fan so it was cool to see a layman's review of it.

I also saw the Witcher 3 one and thought it was great too! Tempted to see all of them, but gotta pace myself, lol

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 8:40 pm

maz89 wrote:Hilarious! Not a huge Star Wars fan so it was cool to see a layman's review of it.

I also saw the Witcher 3 one and thought it was great too! Tempted to see all of them, but gotta pace myself, lol

She has a The Last of Us one, you know. ;)

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:50 pm

Ha, I saw it! It was on point, and I'm glad she recognized how great it is for "backseat gamers" in terms of how the story "is omnipresent in the environment". I love how she throws shade on the gazillion fetch quests from other non-linear games like Witcher 3 ("here, your frying pan" as an example of a truly pointless fetch quest in that game, lol).

Also I've always said that Elie looks like Ellen Page but no one has agreed with me until now.

Derived Absurdity · Post by **Derived Absurdity** » Sun Mar 03, 2019 2:47 am

The Lobster tried to be quirky and dark and edgy and failed. I remember Dogtooth was just kind of authentically weird/unique.

Not a fan of the Harry Potter movies but the sixth one is easily the best one by a mile. Doubly impressive considering that it's based on the second-worst book.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Mar 03, 2019 12:31 pm

maz89 wrote:Ha, I saw it! It was on point, and I'm glad she recognized how great it is for "backseat gamers" in terms of how the story "is omnipresent in the environment". I love how she throws shade on the gazillion fetch quests from other non-linear games like Witcher 3 ("here, your frying pan" as an example of a truly pointless fetch quest in that game, lol).

Also I've always said that Elie looks like Ellen Page but no one has agreed with me until now.

I'm kinda hit-and-miss with fetch quests. I didn't mind the ones in Spider-Man because it was basically a nod to Spider-Man history for long-time fans, and most of the stuff could be quickly gotten on the way to wherever you were going, and web-slinging was so fun anyway that it didn't feel like work. I'm sure it would be boring to backseat gamers though. The Witcher 3 Frying Pan bit I just thought was funny. Kinda like the whole bank/bureaucracy stuff in Toussaint.

LOL, I thought it was so blatantly obvious Ellie looked like Ellen Page that I never even bothered bringing it up! I can't imagine people thinking she doesn't...

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Mar 03, 2019 12:33 pm

Derived Absurdity wrote:The Lobster tried to be quirky and dark and edgy and failed. I remember Dogtooth was just kind of authentically weird/unique.

I think that "trying hard" vs "authentically is" distinction is probably mostly a perception/subjective thing that's really hard to pin down in terms of saying "X is what made me think it was authentic/trying too hard."

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:00 pm

Frankly I'll take the goofy Frying Pan quest over the million "x"'s on the maps in that game.

At least the Frying Pan thing is kind of funny.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:36 pm

Saw some films:

Dunkirk (2017; Christopher Nolan) 7/10
Thor: Ragnarok (2017; Taika Waititi) 7/10
Avengers: Infinity War (2018; Anthony Russo, Joe Russo) 9/10
Incendies (2010; Denis Villeneuve) 9/10
The Hunt (2012; Thomas Vinterberg) 8/10

Incendies is my favourite of the bunch. It just might be Villeneuve's best film. And that is saying much. He directed many excellent films.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:18 pm

Of that list I liked Dunkirk well enough for what it was, thought Ragnarok was okay, didn't really care for Infinity War.

Also dang, dude, I think you've might already have passed me in movie watching for the year lol.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 7:36 pm

Raxivace wrote:Also dang, dude, I think you've might already passed me in movie watching for the year lol.

I've seen 36 movies this year. And I've seen Monster.
Are you still watching Survivor?

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:28 pm

I'm watching the season of Survivor that's currently airing (Which is season 38, to put it in perspective since I started the megawatch of the show last year I've seen seasons 1-20, and watched 35-37 as they came on TV), but I'm on a bit of a hiatus from the older seasons to finish some anime. Some video games took up a quite a bit of my time/energy too.

I have a few movies I haven't posted about yet, but I'm only up to 27 this year right now.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:05 am

Kuribo PM'd me about a rumor. Supposedly, the last Rebuild of Evangelion is going to be delayed AGAIN so Anno can direct...an Ultraman movie. :/

Gotta be honest, of all the nerd stuff that Anno is into the tokusatsu shows hold the least appeal to me.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Wed Mar 06, 2019 4:18 pm

^ Well, that sucks. I mean, I'm a patient guy who doesn't mind waiting, but we're talking about waiting over 10 years to finish a series that lasts about half as long as the original! Seems rather extreme. Maybe Anno is trying outdo Tool in the "let's see who can go the longest before releasing new material without losing all interest from the fanbase" Olympics.

Did you pick up anything with the recent Criterion sale? I got the Bergman box set, Notorious, Magnificent Ambersons, Some Like it Hot, Princess Bride, Chikimatsu Monogatari, and Death in Venice.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 06, 2019 4:36 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:^ Well, that sucks. I mean, I'm a patient guy who doesn't mind waiting, but we're talking about waiting over 10 years to finish a series that lasts about half as long as the original! Seems rather extreme. Maybe Anno is trying outdo Tool in the "let's see who can go the longest before releasing new material without losing all interest from the fanbase" Olympics.

I don't even mind the wait myself, just Ultraman is hard for me to be particularly enthused about.

I've maintained that Rebuild already tells a fairly complete (If not a bitter and cynical) story with 1.11, 2.22 and 3.33 as it is, though it looks like that could end up being a reality lol. Idk, I still feel like there's a decent amount to be mined out of that all alone, though I still want that last movie.

Did you pick up anything with the recent Criterion sale? I got the Bergman box set, Notorious, Magnificent Ambersons, Some Like it Hot, Princess Bride, Chikimatsu Monogatari, and Death in Venice.

I've got too much of a backlog at the moment for me to be buying anything else. I love Notorious obv., loved Magnificent Ambersons (When you watch that next time, keep in mind its the story of my own hometown of Indianapolis...it might even explain some things about me lmao), I like Some Like it Hot, and I'm indifferent to Princess Bride.

I do have Chikimatsu Monogatari though, need to give that a watch still.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:34 pm

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... cInGyxCY9k[/youtube]

Alex Trebek has cancer.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Fri Mar 08, 2019 3:53 pm

Raxivace wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:^ Well, that sucks. I mean, I'm a patient guy who doesn't mind waiting, but we're talking about waiting over 10 years to finish a series that lasts about half as long as the original! Seems rather extreme. Maybe Anno is trying outdo Tool in the "let's see who can go the longest before releasing new material without losing all interest from the fanbase" Olympics.
I don't even mind the wait myself, just Ultraman is hard for me to be particularly enthused about.

I've maintained that Rebuild already tells a fairly complete (If not a bitter and cynical) story with 1.11, 2.22 and 3.33 as it is, though it looks like that could end up being a reality lol. Idk, I still feel like there's a decent amount to be mined out of that all alone, though I still want that last movie.

I don't think I've ever seen anything Ultraman related. Was Anno's Godzilla any good? It's still on my ridiculously long list of stuff to see.

From what I can remember, I could see Rebuild 1-3 being its own complete story, but, yeah, it'd still definitely be better with a conclusion.

Raxivace wrote:
Did you pick up anything with the recent Criterion sale? I got the Bergman box set, Notorious, Magnificent Ambersons, Some Like it Hot, Princess Bride, Chikimatsu Monogatari, and Death in Venice.
I've got too much of a backlog at the moment for me to be buying anything else. I love Notorious obv., loved Magnificent Ambersons (When you watch that next time, keep in mind its the story of my own hometown of Indianapolis...it might even explain some things about me lmao), I like Some Like it Hot, and I'm indifferent to Princess Bride.

I do have Chikimatsu Monogatari though, need to give that a watch still.

LOL, YOU'VE got a backlog?! I think I buy Criterions as much to collect as anything else. Sometimes for the ones I've seen several times before I just end up watching/reading the extras.

What other Mizoguchi's have you seen? I definitely rate Chikimatsu as one of his masterpieces. I almost think of it as a blend of Ugetsu and Sansho; it has the formal/pictorial beauty of the former, but is more reality-based like the latter. Really beautiful and moving film.

Raxivace wrote:Alex Trebek has cancer.

Aww, that sucks. Always seemed like the classiest guy in the world.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Fri Mar 08, 2019 5:02 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:I don't think I've ever seen anything Ultraman related. Was Anno's Godzilla any good? It's still on my ridiculously long list of stuff to see.

Yeah his Godzilla I really liked. Very much feels like the first few episodes of NGE, plus like the Jet Alone one of all things too (But better I think). I gotta say it was also pretty surreal seeing Anno's Annoisms in a theater with a live audience.

Did you ever see the film Anno made in college? It was actually an Ultraman fanfilm.

^You'll have to turn on the subtitles IIRC.

It's cute for what it is but also not really a well I'm personally interested in seeing him dig back into.

From what I can remember, I could see Rebuild 1-3 being its own complete story, but, yeah, it'd still definitely be better with a conclusion.

I've had people on other parts of the internet give me really hostile reactions to that idea before lol.

I think no matter what happens with Rebuild 4.0 the discourse around it is going to suck for a while. No matter what Anno does with it you just know people are going to be like "I waited 15 years for this????!!!!!!????".

What other Mizoguchi's have you seen? I definitely rate Chikimatsu as one of his masterpieces. I almost think of it as a blend of Ugetsu and Sansho; it has the formal/pictorial beauty of the former, but is more reality-based like the latter. Really beautiful and moving film.

Actually Ugetsu and Sansho are the only two of his I've seen. Loved both of them though.

Raxivace wrote:Aww, that sucks. Always seemed like the classiest guy in the world.

He really is. I think also one of those guys that you know that theoretically he does have to pass one day but you still feel like he'll be a constant in your life forever, always there hosting Jeopardy!.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sat Mar 09, 2019 3:32 pm

Raxivace wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:I don't think I've ever seen anything Ultraman related. Was Anno's Godzilla any good? It's still on my ridiculously long list of stuff to see.
Yeah his Godzilla I really liked. Very much feels like the first few episodes of NGE, plus like the Jet Alone one of all things too (But better I think). I gotta say it was also pretty surreal seeing Anno's Annoisms in a theater with a live audience.

Did you ever see the film Anno made in college? It was actually an Ultraman fanfilm

Guess I can look forward to it then. Anno doing live action is one thing, but doing live action superhero/monster fair seemed a bit dicier. I haven't seen that student film, but I'll definitely give it a watch ASAP.

Raxivace wrote:
From what I can remember, I could see Rebuild 1-3 being its own complete story, but, yeah, it'd still definitely be better with a conclusion.
I've had people on other parts of the internet give me really hostile reactions to that idea before lol.

I think no matter what happens with Rebuild 4.0 the discourse around it is going to suck for a while. No matter what Anno does with it you just know people are going to be like "I waited 15 years for this????!!!!!!????".

People on the internet being hostile? Inconceivable! Of course discourse around it is going to suck for a while because 98%+ of people out there don't know how to talk about films with any critical intelligence to begin with, and fans are even worse as they tend to be selfish idiots who have an idea in their mind of what they want to see happen and turn into rabid keyboard rage machines when it doesn't. It'll be especially fun, though, with an artist like Anno that's so good at trolling audiences (while still making substantial art, of course).

Raxivace wrote:
What other Mizoguchi's have you seen? I definitely rate Chikimatsu as one of his masterpieces. I almost think of it as a blend of Ugetsu and Sansho; it has the formal/pictorial beauty of the former, but is more reality-based like the latter. Really beautiful and moving film.
Actually Ugetsu and Sansho are the only two of his I've seen. Loved both of them though.

Definitely make more Mizoguchi a priority. He has a lot of great, underrated films. Story of the Late Chrysanthemums should be up there too.

Raxivace wrote:
Raxivace wrote:Aww, that sucks. Always seemed like the classiest guy in the world.
He really is. I think also one of those guys that you know that theoretically he does have to pass one day but you still feel like he'll be a constant in your life forever, always there hosting Jeopardy!.

I honestly can't imagine anyone else hosting the show. I mean, I'm sure someone will, but I can't think of anyone out there right now with Alex's blend of calm intelligence and gravitas.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sat Mar 09, 2019 5:04 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote:People on the internet being hostile? Inconceivable! Of course discourse around it is going to suck for a while because 98%+ of people out there don't know how to talk about films with any critical intelligence to begin with, and fans are even worse as they tend to be selfish idiots who have an idea in their mind of what they want to see happen and turn into rabid keyboard rage machines when it doesn't. It'll be especially fun, though, with an artist like Anno that's so good at trolling audiences (while still making substantial art, of course).

Dude I will fucking drink to fandom making people stupid. I will drink so fucking hard to that that I'll get cirrhosis. You have no idea.

Definitely make more Mizoguchi a priority. He has a lot of great, underrated films. Story of the Late Chrysanthemums should be up there too.

Sure, I'll make a note of it.

I honestly can't imagine anyone else hosting the show. I mean, I'm sure someone will, but I can't think of anyone out there right now with Alex's blend of calm intelligence and gravitas.

Well, Will Ferrell is still around. :P

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 4:49 am

I meant to get this all posted before the Oscars but unfortunately, I wasn't able to. Roma in particular I waited too long to really write about it, it deserves better than what I'm able to give it here.

24. Roma (2018, Dir. Alfonso Cuaron) - Well compared to Gravity this is a very down to Earth movie (Pun totally intended).

I really liked this, after I expected not to after not being a huge fan of Gravity. In fact, it was probably the best of all the Oscar nominees that I saw. I think what really makes it work is that while there's an obvious point of view being expressed about how maids and such are treated in the world (And in general this goes to larger class differences in society), Cuaron doesn't dramatically simplify it by making things one dimensional. Yes, there are times where the family treats Cleo like shit, but its not presented in a typical movie villain kind of way- just the result of daily frustrations that we all face being taken out on a target that doesn't deserve it. The children generally seem to love Cleo too, but they still also ultimately see her as the maid. Even after she saves the lives of the kids from drowning they still are asking her for snacks and such like that afternoon.

Also the birthing scene was very upsetting. When the baby is finally being born but the realization sets in that it isn't crying? I was gutted.

In retrospect the film has foreshadowed this pretty heavily too, such as during the initial hospital visit where the earthquake happens, and a piece of rubble falls onto an incubator. That baby is saved, but there's a cut from that baby to a graveyard in the next shot that sets up the next scene. Looking back, it's pretty ominous.

The movie is on Netflix, people. Go watch it. I'm not really doing it justice here.

25. Green Book (2018, Dir. Peter Farelly) - It's not the worst thing ever, but certainly not the Best Picture of 2018 by any real metric. Mahershala and Viggo are good in it (Better than the material), and taken as a buddy comedy road trip movie instead of a serious statement about racism the film is decent. Watching it though, you very much get the impression that without the Best Picture win it would be forgotten by history here soon pretty quick.

26. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, Dir. Bryan Singer) - Everything that you might imagine in a stereotypical biopic about Queen and Freddie Mercury is here. Its very heavy handed in that kind of way.

Yet, as a movie, I think pretty entertained by it. Its very high energy, and Rami Malak honestly is good as Mercury. It definitely ain't subtle though.

Like a scene where Mercury is dying from AIDS as “Who Wants to Live Forever" (A song written for a movie as goofy as fucking Highlander) is played as ironic juxtaposition frankly should not work. It's really easy to see through. Yet it still somehow gets to me.

I feel very similarly about this as I do Green Book in that the choices are very easy to see through, but even more than that film I found myself moved by this, even if I'm not a Queen superfan or anything (Though I like their music just fine).

Also Aiden Gillen is in this as one of the band's managers, but he plays him exactly the same way he plays Littlefinger in the later Game of Thrones seasons which is honestly kind of distracting, even if as a character in the movie that's also basically how he's written.

27. Forbidden Planet (1956, Dir. Fred M. Wilcox) - Loosely adapted from Shakespeare's The Tempest, this is a sci-fi classic. While it's not as good as the things it influenced (Such as Star Trek, Star Wars and probably 2001), said influence on sci-fi seems pretty heavy. In terms of space exploration movies the biggest one before it might have honestly been A Trip to the Moon, so with that in mind its easy to see how so many other artists could look at an honest attempt to a do a big budget (For the time) sci-fi movie with an ostensibly serious storyline and see further potential.

I don't really feel the need to review the plot in much detail though because the character “Para-Medic" in the video game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater already did so.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqtIYQl ... tu.be&t=26[/youtube]
^Starts at 04:22.

Also this movie just goes to show how popular Freudian stuff was in Hollywood in this time period. “Monster from the Id" is quite a bit more on the nose and literal than some of the stuff in Hitchcock or even Sirk, but it was fun.

28. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Dir. Jacques Demy) - I had never seen a Demy movie before and man I need to correct that because this was just fantastic. It's a musical about how a woman considering leaving her boyfriend for another man while said boyfriend goes off to war, and what ultimately pushes her to to go through with it marrying this other guy. The last section of the movie follows the boyfriend, aptly named Guy, trying to make sense of what to do with his life after coming home injured from the war in Algeria and frustrated that his girlfriend NEVER TOLD HIM ABOUT ALL THIS! SHE JUST KEPT WRITING HIM LETTERS FOR THE ENTIRE TWO YEARS WHILE HE WAS IN WAR!! She got pregnant with HIS CHILD too right before he left, and marries before the baby is even born!!!!! What the heck!!!

Personally I blame her mother (Who runs the umbrella store the film is named after) for trying to push her daughter into marrying into wealth over marrying for love. My read of the ending has the daughter seeming a little unhappy (Perhaps even jealous over the guy Anyways I did not expect to get this invested in this movie this much but I did.

Also the colors of the film just pop too, holy crap. I like the actual music too, but the biggest thing to note is that literally every single line of dialogue in this film is sung. All of it. I don't think I've ever seen that in another musical before but I'm hardly an expert on the genre. All of this I think makes what would otherwise be a kind of bitter melodrama in some ways more palatable too, which is interesting.

Bizarrely enough this movie is also reviewed in a Metal Gear Solid game.

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

Also I finished an anime.

Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX (1982-1983) - Ostensibly the sequel to the Arcadia of My Youth movie…I think. Even though clips from the movie are used in the occasional flashback the continuity seems pretty loose.

Anyways in this show the Earth has been taken over the “Illumidas", a group of aliens. Captain Harlock and his crew of space pirates escape and in their travels throughout the stars seek out a hypothetical “Arcadia", a world where they can live free from tyranny.

The show mostly follows Harlock, his crew, and their ship (Also named Arcadia) traveling from place to place, meeting some new people, and battling the Illumidas. The faction of the Illumidas is lead by “Zone", a human who has betrayed Earth and works with the Illumidas to hunt down Harlock in order to further his own ambitions. Each episode he has some new scheme to defeat the space pirate.

As you can guess its an extremely episodic story, which only the occasional episode that pushes forward the overall narrative. Its fun for what it is though, no doubt aided by the TV show toning down the weirder political overtones that were present in the prequel film.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 5:26 pm

Raxivace wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:People on the internet being hostile? Inconceivable! Of course discourse around it is going to suck for a while because 98%+ of people out there don't know how to talk about films with any critical intelligence to begin with, and fans are even worse as they tend to be selfish idiots who have an idea in their mind of what they want to see happen and turn into rabid keyboard rage machines when it doesn't. It'll be especially fun, though, with an artist like Anno that's so good at trolling audiences (while still making substantial art, of course).
Dude I will fucking drink to fandom making people stupid. I will drink so fucking hard to that that I'll get cirrhosis. You have no idea.

Raxivace wrote:Forbidden Planet (1956, Dir. Fred M. Wilcox) -

In terms of predecessors you're forgetting Fritz Lang's Woman in the Moon, which was quite good itself. Anyway, FP is pretty awesome, and you can definitely see the influence/impact it had. Yeah, it doesn't hold up as well as what it influenced--though I might prefer it to Star Trek--but it's a lot of fun.

Raxivace wrote:The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Dir. Jacques Demy) -

Hey, look, one you loved that I wasn't crazy about! That rarely happens! I thought it was a cute, charming film, but not much beyond that. It kinda reminded me of a lesser Truffaut film, if Truffaut had decided to do a musical... or maybe it was actually just inspired by Godard's A Woman is a Woman... maybe a mix of both, actually. I do agree, though, about the colors popping in the film, but even that seems a bit pale next to Godard's color experiments of the time. Anyway, cute film, but not one that I was all that invested in. It's interesting, though, from the perspective of being one of the first all-sung films, though.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 6:58 pm

Saw some films:

In the Heat of the Sun (1994)
City of Life and Death (2009)
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
Sunny (2011)
The Classic (2003)
Mother (2009)
Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996)
Police Story (1985)
Ritual (2000)
Love & Pop (1998)
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Looper (2012)

Certainly all worth watching.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 8:43 pm

Lord_Lyndon wrote:Saw some films:

City of Life and Death (2009)
Police Story (1985)
Love & Pop (1998)
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Looper (2012)

Certainly all worth watching.

These I've seen and liked them all. I remember loving a City of Life and Death but don't remember too much about it now. Police Story is probably Jackie Chan's best, at least of those I've seen. Love & Pop is really cool, though I think Shiki Jitsu is significantly better. Discreet Charm is one of my all-time favorites, in large part because it was the first Bunuel I really connected with. Phantom of Liberty is perhaps an even more random/absurd take on his brand of surrealism--perhaps only a lesser film because it IS so random. Lady Vanishes is Hitch at his most effortlessly funny and entertaining. Looper is one of the better sci-fi films of this century, one that deserves a rewatch given the time-travel complexities, but is much more entertaining than, say, Primer.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 4:49 am

Eva Yojimbo wrote:

In terms of predecessors you're forgetting Fritz Lang's Woman in the Moon, which was quite good itself.

Actually I wasn't aware of this one- I thought Metropolis was his only sci-fi. Definitely interested though.

Hey, look, one you loved that I wasn't crazy about! That rarely happens!

Based on the amount of the time I've spent in the last year watching 40+ episode mecha anime and 20 year old episodes of reality tv shows that's probably not as true as you think lol.

I thought it was a cute, charming film, but not much beyond that. It kinda reminded me of a lesser Truffaut film, if Truffaut had decided to do a musical... or maybe it was actually just inspired by Godard's A Woman is a Woman... maybe a mix of both, actually. I do agree, though, about the colors popping in the film, but even that seems a bit pale next to Godard's color experiments of the time. Anyway, cute film, but not one that I was all that invested in. It's interesting, though, from the perspective of being one of the first all-sung films, though.

Yeah I think the color in Godard is probably better.

I would say that the biggest difference between Demy here and someone like Truffaut is that the Demy feels to me like he's trying to one-up Hollywood at its own game in some ways (Like with literally all of it being sung, the general romanticism of the film etc.), while I feel like even Truffaut would have had a slightly more detached spin on it somehow (Even if it isn't Godard levels of detached).

EDIT: Huh not sure what's up with smiley. Oh well.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 4:54 am

Lord_Lyndon wrote:Saw some films:

And again I can only be impressed at your watching rate...

Police Story (1985)

I saw this for the first time last year and quite liked it. I'm definitely picking up the Criterion bluray this year, which comes with the sequel as well.

Love & Pop (1998)

Definitely Anno in his more cynical mode. I quite liked it. I need to see Ritual/Shiki-Jitsu though...

The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Looper (2012)

I quite liked these as well.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 4:56 am

Eva Yojimbo wrote:Looper is one of the better sci-fi films of this century, one that deserves a rewatch given the time-travel complexities, but is much more entertaining than, say, Primer.

I haven't seen it since it was in theaters, but I remember having the impression that the time travel stuff doesn't actually follow any direct logical cause and effect sense, but follows more emotional logic or just what would make for cool scenes (Which isn't a problem for me), making it pretty different from something like Primer (Though even that movie I think is designed ultimately to not ever be able to be truly "solved," so to speak).

I think there's even a line in Looper where Bruce Willis or somebody says you shouldn't think about the time travel too hard in a kind of obvious nod to how the movie should be approached.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:37 am

Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999) - Yeah I finally got around to finishing this. Not that Bebop of all shows needs another person to sing its praises but it really is quite good- the style alone puts it above most other films or TV shows.

While I had seen several random episodes of Bebop when I was younger, what I think really surprised me this time around was how much more of a noir it was than a space western a la Firefly or whatever (Though western elements are certainly present). It's not just in the style or the presence of crime stories but the general fatalism over the whole thing. While I vaguely remembered that Spike dies in the ending, the foreshadowing is there all over the show, and as this interesting paper argues, is even part of a larger narrative strategy in Bebop to riff on noir conventions (My favorite observation being Spike "fighting like water" as a variation on noir's general fetish for rain as a metaphor for death).

One thing I do want to mention is the "lost episode" that seems to be frequently given names like "Mishmash of Blues". I say "frequently" because as far as I can tell its never been given an official English release. It's not even on my blu-ray set.

I've seen Mishmash of Blues described as a recap of the first 13 or so episodes a couple of times since it was hastily put together as a rough conclusion for the cancellation of the original broadcast of the series (From what I gather from reading online anyways), but that's not quite accurate a description of the content of this episode itself. There's no real recapping going on at all here, but it is a lot of footage from the series with dialogue overlayed of characters giving random musings and observations about life.

It really reminds me of the TV ending of Evangelion, not only in how the circumstances of its production but how it combines a collage style with more directly speaking toward the audience. I don't think its nearly as daring or good at this as Evangelion's full Godard approach is, but its interesting that this even exists since it seems like there's something of an attempt to scrub it from history.

It's got a lot of unique music that from what I can tell isn't even in the show itself (And from what I can tell isn't even on the official soundtracks), so its worth checking out for that at least. The credits song in particular I enjoyed.

I'll be watching the Bebop movie and the newer short films here soon.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:23 pm

Eva Yojimbo wrote: Love & Pop is really cool, though I think Shiki Jitsu is significantly better.

I agree with you. Shiki Jitsu is a fabulous film. I would even say that it is one of my favourite films of last 20 years. Mulholland Drive remains number 1 for me, though. Btw, interesting that Shunji Iwai is in the lead role in Shiki Jitsu.

Discreet Charm is one of my all-time favorites, in large part because it was the first Bunuel I really connected with.

Belle de Jour is Bunuel I connected with the most. By far.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:26 pm

Raxivace wrote:I think there's even a line in Looper where Bruce Willis or somebody says you shouldn't think about the time travel too hard in a kind of obvious nod to how the movie should be approached.

You have excellent memory, Rax. It has to be said.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:53 pm

Update on my progress:

Walk the Line (2005)
The Fast and the Furious Part 1-Part 7 (2001-2015)
Passengers (2016)
Capote (2005)
Election (1999)
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Get Smart (2008)
The Young Victoria (2009)

14 films in total.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 7:30 pm

I like the Fast and Furious movies for what they are.

What did you think of Passengers? I thought it was okay until the third passenger wakes up.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:55 pm

Raxivace wrote:I like the Fast and Furious movies for what they are.

Me too.

What did you think of Passengers?

I know I'm in minority on this one, but I loved every second of it. To me, this was a perfect blend of sci-fi and romance. It managed to be entertaining and moving at the same time. As far as performances are concerned: I thought Jenny was fabulous, while Star-Lord was okay I guess.
The only films I liked more this year are two McConaughey ones. But it's been a pretty poor year as far as film-watching is concerned. I'm honestly considering giving up on films and maybe trying with anime or TV-series. It is a decision I will have to make very soon. Because things are not working for me.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:31 pm

Maybe you just need a break from movies for a while. It does seem like you have been watching a LOT of movies lately.

Any particular TV series or anime you're thinking about watching?

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:46 pm

Raxivace wrote:Any particular TV series or anime you're thinking about watching?

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Death Note
Code Geass
Berserk
Samurai Champloo
Psycho-Pass
Steins Gate
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

There are more, but these are the most popular.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:55 pm

Hey I've actually seen a lot of these.

Lord_Lyndon wrote:Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

This one I only saw a few episodes of and read maybe half of the original manga. I generally wasn't super into and strongly preferred the 2003 anime...that being said I haven't seen the 2003 anime in a decade and I know Brotherhood seems to be the more popular version.

Death Note

I have seen all of this but again its been about a decade. I liked it at the time.

Code Geass

I really enjoyed this one, though it runs into problems in its second season. There's a sequel movie coming out here soon too though.

Berserk

I haven't seen any of the animated adaptations of this, but I did read the original manga recently (Up to the most recent chapters anyways) and quite enjoyed it. The manga itself is uh pretty graphic though. I'm sure the anime versions tone it down a bit but it can get pretty rough.

Steins Gate

I liked this one. Like Primer with stronger characters IMO.

I've played the original Visual Novel game this is based on too and in some ways I think its stronger and that the anime irons out some of the main character's flaws a bit too much, though the anime is still solid in its own right.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

I loved TTGL. Probably the best encapsulation of the whole "super robot" story idea.

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:07 pm

Thanks Rax. I appreciate it. If you have some recommendations regarding anime series and TV-series... I'd love to hear.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:25 pm

As far as anime goes...

-Vision of Escaflowne
-GunBuster
-Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.
-The Big O
-Space Battleship Yamato 2199
-Puella Magi Madoka Magica (I didn't really like this one very much but it was very popular so I'd be remiss in not mentioning it)
-Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
-Macross Plus (Honestly I love the whole Macross franchise but Plus is the easiest one to sell people on since it is the shortest and less tied to traditional mecha storytelling than most of the others. Macross Frontier was pretty popular too though).

A lot of the ones I normally recommend to people are among the ones you've seen already lol.

These were some that came out last year and I really liked:
-Devilman: Crybaby (The original Devilman manga was a huge inspiration on Evangelion and frankly this adaptation is superior to the manga)
-Violet Evergarden
-Dragon Pilot: Hisone & Masotan
-Lupin III: Part V

Lord_Lyndon · Post by **Lord_Lyndon** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:33 pm

Thanks a lot Rax! You are very kind. I'm going to check out those in the future.