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sycasey 2.0

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Posts posted by sycasey 2.0

  1. Posted

    31 minutes ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

    I haven’t seen it, only the commercials. But the dancing and spectacle always seemed like the draw of CATS, not the story. In the film they cast the ballerina as the main cat but then you never really get to see her do what I assume she can do. You just never got a cool dance sequence. Did they not have a choreographer or something? It was very flat. 

    Part of it is that Tom Hooper is a terrible director for musicals. He doesn't get the stylistic needs at all. Everything about the Cats movie indicates that the director is striving for a kind of in-your-face realism. Yeah, that's right, for freakin' Cats!

    The way Hooper insists on recording the singing live on set, using CGI to make it all look like "real" fur, the way his hand-held camera is constantly moving and shaking around in medium and close-up shots of the actors . . . it's all a horrible way to do a musical that relies on big group dance numbers for its "wow" factor. I'm not sure that ALW musicals translate well to the screen anyway, but Hooper makes the wrong choices whenever possible.

    • Like 2

  3. Posted

    5 hours ago, grudlian. said:

    I'm really interested in what people think about this film if they've never seen an Ozu film before. This was the first I saw and it didn't do much for me. It wasn't until a couple more Ozu movies that he clicked with me.

    This was the first time I'd ever watched an Ozu film, and I feel like I went through this journey in real time throughout the movie. Found it a bit stilted and slow at first, but as it went along I became more engrossed and was won over.

    The filmmaking style (described as "too Japanese" for Western audiences at times) reminded me of a passage in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, where he lays out the differences in storytelling between Eastern and Western comic artists.

    http://bilalhafeez.com/the-comic-difference-between-western-and-eastern-mindsets/?

    Japanese comics tend to devote more time to setting the scene or creating mood and aren't in as much of a rush to get to something "happening." American/European comics tend to focus a lot more on action, and on what will happen next. I saw similar things in Ozu. He lingers so much more on exterior shots of buildings, trains, power lines, drying laundry, etc., than you would ordinarily see in an American film (even a slower, more esoteric kind of American film). It can make you restless at first, but this way of shifting your focus to what is not happening over what is happening builds up over time.

  6. Posted

    1 hour ago, AlmostAGhost said:

    If it were up to me, I'd probably send like 15 Coen Brothers movies into space.

    Since it's not, this isn't my choice to do so, even though I recognize it's greatness. (I currently place it as the 11th-best Coen film.)

     

    I basically agree with this. I see all of its virtues, and I think there's something to be said for it as the first movie that truly crystallizes what people recognize as the "Coen style." But there are several Coen comedies I enjoy more. It's a purely subjective thing.

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    unspooled-raising-arizona.jpg

    Paul & Amy raise up 1987’s Coen Brothers kidnapping caper Raising Arizona! They track the secret references to other Coen projects, learn why they thought of a baby as an “emotional squib,” and ask why Hi and Ed are so lovable despite committing an awful crime. Plus: discovering Nic Cage’s thoughts on babies.

    This is the first episode in our Kinspooled series on “effed up families”; next week’s film is Tokyo Story! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

  8. Posted

    On 11/9/2020 at 8:16 AM, grudlian. said:

    You're right that the entire state votes for governor.

    The best counter to this would be straight ticket voting which is voting for one party and, in every election I've voted in, is the first option on the ballot (this probably varies state to state). It will say something like Straight Ticket and give you a box to check for your preferred party. With electronic ballots, you can check the straight ticket box which fills in the box and, as you scroll through the rest of the ballot, can make individual changes for a particular candidate.

    Straight ticket voting has always been a thing but, purely anecdotal evidence based on my friends, is that straight ticket voting has increased significantly after 2016. I don't remember if they listed what party Gabbi was erroneously put on the ballot for. If she was put with one of the two major parties, it's theoretically possible, but not plausible, someone could get a win if no one read the ballot and went straight ticket. 

    Of course, the actual candidate (and millions of others who voted) would have noticed such a discrepancy. This would likely be international news. The guy who changed it would go to jail or prison. Gabbi would have to prove her innocence.

    Straight ticket voting might be an explanation for what happened here, but I'm pretty sure California doesn't have a straight ticket voting option. You have to actually choose the individual candidates.

    The laziness of the writing here is especially galling, since there was already The Distinguished Gentleman, an Eddie Murphy movie with a similar premise that had a much better explanation for how some random person gets elected to Congress: he has the same name as a real candidate who recently died.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Distinguished_Gentleman

    Distinguished_gentleman.jpg

  9. Posted

    1 minute ago, Metaluna Mutant said:

    knowing they won't survive but that will beat the thing and save the world.

    But then of course, at the end they still can't be sure they actually beat the Thing. That's the brilliance of the movie's paranoia.

  10. Posted

    201.5-the-thing.jpg

    Amy & Paul burst out of 1982’s Antarctic John Carpenter sci-fi feature The Thing! They learn how the incredible special effects were literally dreamt up, praise Wilford Brimley’s everyman appeal, and ask what relevance this story of paranoia and mistrust has in modern-day life. Plus: An excerpt from The Thing: The Musical.

    This is the final episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week we kick off a series on “effed up families” with Raising Arizona! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1

  11. Posted

    I just couldn't get into this one. It felt like a movie that required Cliffs Notes to be at all understood. Abstraction and moody imagery are great, but I frequently had a hard time grasping what was going on at all. Hate to say it, but I kind of agreed with the negative New York Times review (though I found more elements to appreciate than they did).

    But that said, I think I was expecting this to be more of a horror movie than an experimental, personal art film, in large part because it's contained within this run of Unspooled horror movies. Perhaps revisiting with different expectations would yield a different response.

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    unspooled-ganja-and-hess.jpg

    Paul & Amy sink their teeth into 1973’s visionary vampire film Ganja & Hess! They learn how director Bill Gunn used the success of films like Blacula to get funding for his more experimental work, examine the parallels the film draws between Christianity and vampirism, and explore the role race plays in Gunn’s vision. Plus: a look at how the critical reaction at the time shaped the film’s legacy.

    This is the fourth episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film and the winner of the Unghouled fan vote is The Thing! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

  13. Posted

    1 minute ago, Cameron H. said:

    June might not know the difference between popping and locking and "doing the robot," but clearly, the actor who played Turbo does. Considering the recent release of Bill and Ted Face the Music, it's rather serendipitous that Turbo, actor Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambersï»ż, played "Good Robot Bill" in the now classic film Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey.

    73a667c11c8dbd41d79b5406aa76b233.jpg

     

    OMG.

    • Like 1

  16. Posted

    This is one of many classic horror movies that I'd never got around to seeing, because I was never a horror-movie fan as a young person. I just didn't seek out horror movies as a rule. I don't have a particular taste for gore and blood in movies.

    But as I get around to them now I find that the very best ones tend to be pretty clearly great right from the jump. Halloween was like that. So was Night of the Living Dead: that opening sequence in the cemetery is pretty masterfully done, especially considering the time period and the budget, and set up the rest of the film beautifully . . . just enough character development to get you hooked, and now here come the zombies! Boom, perfect. The only thing I have to forgive is that some of the acting is a bit amateurish at times (though not from the lead). The filmmaking itself is strong.

    Given the genre influence and social impact I think it's an easy yes vote. Only question is whether this or Dawn of the Dead is the better representative.

  17. Posted

    unspooled-NOTLD.jpg

    Amy & Paul tear into 1968’s seminal zombie horror Night Of The Living Dead! They learn about director George Romero’s history making political advertisements, praise the way Romero makes you care about the characters he’s killing off, and analyze how casting a black lead actor in Duane Jones changed the tenor and meaning of the film. Plus: Weighing in on the eternal question, can zombies run?

    This is the third episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film is Night Of The Living Dead! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

  18. Posted

    Haven't seen this movie since it was in theaters in 2014, but I liked it a lot at the time. I thought Kent showed great control over the cinematic form (lots of smart show-don't-tell visual storytelling) and that the metaphor was well delivered under the horror surface: the monster is the stress of being a widowed single mother (maybe it doesn't even exist!), and you "defeat" it by learning to live with it, not by killing it.

    So it's really good, but I'm a no vote because (1) it's still pretty new and (2) I'm not sure if this is really the best Jennifer Kent can do. She might have an even better masterpiece coming down the line, and this is her Mean Streets or something. The Nightingale also had some pretty impressive filmmaking going on.

    I'm also now realizing I saw this before becoming a parent, so it might resonate differently upon rewatch.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    babadook-2.jpg

    Paul & Amy knock three times on 2014’s Australian psychological horror film The Babadook! They learn how director Jennifer Kent was influenced by classic creature features, spotlight a trope most horror films use that this one avoids, and explore why the film is such a relatable depiction of parenting. Plus: A look at the Babadook’s second life as an LGBT icon.

    This is the second episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film is Night Of The Living Dead! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

  23. Posted

    1 hour ago, grudlian. said:

    I agree with you. I'm basing this on fans of his movies more than what he's said as I've never heard him really comment on his movies. I suspect Prince found these characters charming and endearing. If you knew these characters in real life, ugh, you wouldn't want to know them. If someone other than Prince were playing these guys, we might be describing them as "brats" instead of "rascals." Prince is just so charismatic in real life that he can't not be watchable on some level. 

    Prince seems to have a weird idea that acting like a 10-year-old makes grown women fall in love with you. I guess it worked for him!

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