What Did You Watch Today?

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I have one episode left of Daredevil. I don't want it to end, the last few episodes have been intense as fuck.

THEY LIT THAT GUY ON FIRE AND LET HIM BURN!

"GET THE SAW!"

WESLEY!

BEN! Damn it Daredevil, I'd watch Game of Thrones if I wanted my favourite characters to die.

The guy playing Wilson Fisk is fucking killing it on this. Incredible acting.

[Sousa]

That's the same way I feel about American Beauty. I remember when I watched it as a teenager, my dad told me I'd appreciate it more when I got older. I just don't know what about "that movie where Kevin Spacey fantasizes about fucking a high school student for two hours" would lead him to believe I'd enjoy it more now buuuuuuuuuuuuut.

So as it happens, I watched this again last night for the first time in probably a decade--my wife actually wanted to. I... definitely did not like it as much as I did when I was younger, but it wasn't bad! All of the parts I liked better as a kid (e.g. all of the "plastic bag" bullshit, Kevin Spacey standing up to his EVIL BITCH WIFE, etc.) are sort of shit now, but Annette Bening is wonderful, and I appreciate more as an adult how much of the movie is built around everyone's misconceptions of everyone else. It's way too far up its own ass and the LOOK AT ALL THIS BEAUTY stuff doesn't work as well as the LOOK AT HOW NO ONE GETS EACH OTHER stuff, but it didn't make me feel like an asshole for having liked it as a kid, so let's call it a wash.

Also, it's like the whitest movie I think I've ever seen. I don't think I saw even one non-white side character. It made Full House look like Friday.

[Forky]

Just watched The Avengers: Age Of Ultron tonight and it was everything that I wanted in the movie. All the hate it got from certain groups to me is insane but people are going to hate no matter what I guess.

[Monkey D. Lars]

U.F.O/Alien Uprising (2012), is fucking awful, worst JCVD movie by far and he only stars for 10 minutes! We do get his daughter and Brosnan's son.....

[stokeriño]

I've added a third Marx Brothers movie to my repertoire with A Night at the Opera (1935).

Probably the most uneven of the three - the longest too, so you can probably account for the extra length with a) the strange romance sideplot they crowbarred in, and b) extended periods of singing (presumably just to try and tick all the boxes for cinema audience appeal). The wordplay jokes generally aren't as clever or smooth as those in Duck Soup (and don't enjoy DS's element of satire either), but they get some good puns in there...

Groucho: (explaining the written contract) "And then of course you have your Sanity Clause."

Chico: "Hey, don't try to fool me. I know there's no such thing as a Santy Claus."

Basically, the movie rumbles on but the bits that are supposed to be the driving plot rather stumble awkwardly to keep up, and feel a bit out of place when they do get mentioned. I know a Marx Brothers movie doesn't necessarily need a plot - hell, the premise of Monkey Business was nothing more than "The Marx Brothers are stowaways on an ocean liner, SHENANIGANS ENSUE" - but the fact that this film is sort-of-trying to have one makes it worse.

(Incidentally, in this film they ALSO end up as stowaways on an ocean liner. Hmm.)

I think if five minutes had been dedicated at the start of the film to setting the scene, it would have improved the rest of it dramatically. In Duck Soup, for example, you are introduced to the plight of Freedonia and how only appointing the 'great' Rufus T. Firefly will save the nation...and you know it's going to be Groucho, so you get a nice build of anticipation for his appearance. Whereas in A Night at the Opera, you are literally thrown into a scene of Groucho cracking wise with a woman at a dinner table, and it rather takes a while to figure out what the point of this is beyond the amusement of insults.

Harpo's slapstick antics were below-par in this one too (either more improvised or just not as imaginatively written). Chico's role is always one of foil to other characters so he tends to be at the same level in all the films.

The good news is that I watched this while Stokerina was in the same room and she giggled at some of the puns, so I'm hoping I can get her to watch Duck Soup at some point...

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Finished Daredevil, gimme more!

[Benji]

Just started Manny. Was expecting some comedy about a male nanny featuring Arnie or something, instead it's a film about some boxer.

Yes, I am joking.

It really is a comedy about a male nanny.

[stokeriño]

Just finished Goal II: Living the Dream.

I don't know why I was surprised that they decided to have Beckham score the winning goal.

[Jimmy]

I've added a third Marx Brothers movie to my repertoire with A Night at the Opera (1935).

Probably the most uneven of the three - the longest too, so you can probably account for the extra length with a) the strange romance sideplot they crowbarred in, and b) extended periods of singing (presumably just to try and tick all the boxes for cinema audience appeal). The wordplay jokes generally aren't as clever or smooth as those in Duck Soup (and don't enjoy DS's element of satire either), but they get some good puns in there...

Groucho: (explaining the written contract) "And then of course you have your Sanity Clause."

Chico: "Hey, don't try to fool me. I know there's no such thing as a Santy Claus."

Basically, the movie rumbles on but the bits that are supposed to be the driving plot rather stumble awkwardly to keep up, and feel a bit out of place when they do get mentioned. I know a Marx Brothers movie doesn't necessarily need a plot - hell, the premise of Monkey Business was nothing more than "The Marx Brothers are stowaways on an ocean liner, SHENANIGANS ENSUE" - but the fact that this film is sort-of-trying to have one makes it worse.

(Incidentally, in this film they ALSO end up as stowaways on an ocean liner. Hmm.)

I think if five minutes had been dedicated at the start of the film to setting the scene, it would have improved the rest of it dramatically. In Duck Soup, for example, you are introduced to the plight of Freedonia and how only appointing the 'great' Rufus T. Firefly will save the nation...and you know it's going to be Groucho, so you get a nice build of anticipation for his appearance. Whereas in A Night at the Opera, you are literally thrown into a scene of Groucho cracking wise with a woman at a dinner table, and it rather takes a while to figure out what the point of this is beyond the amusement of insults.

Harpo's slapstick antics were below-par in this one too (either more improvised or just not as imaginatively written). Chico's role is always one of foil to other characters so he tends to be at the same level in all the films.

The good news is that I watched this while Stokerina was in the same room and she giggled at some of the puns, so I'm hoping I can get her to watch Duck Soup at some point...

I was kinda disappointed with Duck Soup. I really like comedy from that era, but it kinda fell flat for me for the most part.

[GhostMachine]

I prefer Horse Feathers and A Day At The Races, as far Marx Brothers movies are concerned.

[Benji]

Currently watching When The Lights Went Out. Really solid horror. Unlike many modern horror films it actually has a story to tell instead of just being about scares. Hope it ends as well as it's gone so far.

[Benji]

... it did not.

And Keeping Rosy is shit so far.

EDIT: Got a lot better, very tense, ending was ridiculous though.

[Monkey D. Lars]

Second in Command (2006), one of the worst JCVD's out there!

Only one of his films left besides the yet to be released Pound of Flesh!!!!!!

[Gorka]

I don't know whether The Phantom of Liberty is a good laugh or disturbing. Either way, it was pretty great.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Gorka

[Monkey D. Lars]

Man, I really like Ex Machina (2015), Bill Weasley for the win! I've also never heard of Alicia Vikander before but

[Monkey D. Lars]

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), please make enough money for 2 more sequels!! It's batshit insane crazy awesome and original!

[Jimmy]

Would recommend people try and catch Girlhood, another really good film from Celine Sciamma. So worth checking out her previous work, Tomboy and Water Lillies as well. A really, really talented french filmmaker who is doing great stuff with true to life female protagonists.

[GhostMachine]

Watched Mortdecai a few days ago. Not the worst Johnny Depp movie I've seen (That would be either The Ninth Gate or Secret Window), but not surprised at all that it bombed in the theaters. Still a somewhat decent movie.

Have Home Sweet Hell waiting to be watched. We had The Cobbler (Heidi's son is a major Adam Sandler fan) and Tracers higher in the Netflix queue, but both have waits on them.

[Benji]

American Pie: The Naked Mile is okay. The worst of the franchise, but it's still good for some juvenile laughs.

[Benji]

Mad Max [1979]. Expected post-apocalyptic fun and mayhem, got Australia with some shitty costumes and over acting. Naff.