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DanEngler

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Posts posted by DanEngler

  4. Posted

    4 hours ago, tomspanks said:

    I wish we could have a second poll for this thread. A Clockwork Orange vs Taxi Driver. 

    giphy.gif

    (I also made it so that people can change their votes until the poll closes, because this probably should've been enabled all along.)

    • Like 5

  9. Posted

    10 hours ago, bleary said:

    It's interesting that you point out the effects as a positive.  For me, it completely took me out of it, in that you can see exactly how the sausage was made.  As you said, in that scene over the rapids, Huston cuts between three different setups: a shot of Bogart and Hepburn in front of a rear projection of the jungle scenery, a shot of a boat captained by two dummies going over the rapids, and a shot of Bogart and Hepburn in the boat in an in-studio pool.

    I'm not sure I consider it "positive" so much as "interesting". I'm a Program Manager by trade, and I love sausage-making and digging into creators' thought processes, which explains why I've listened to so many DVD commentary tracks and podcasts. Nothing is more tedious to me than hearing Peter Jackson go on about how they had to write special software to show 50,000 orcs on screen at once, but the hand-craftedness of these classic movies feels alive in comparison.

    I understand that I evaluate movies based on different criteria than most people, though. The current bottom four in my list are High Noon, The French Connection, Taxi Driver, and Titanic. I imagine a lot of film aficionados would like to see me in prison.

    • Like 3

  11. Posted

    4 hours ago, AlmostAGhost said:

    I gotta say, I did like The African Queen, but I was somewhat confounded by it.  I think Paul expressed that pretty well, and sort of was where my head is on it.    

    But as I've watched your all's ratings on Letterboxd roll in for this movie, I was surprised at just how high they've been.  Had you guys seen it before?  Or was everyone just super charmed by it? 

    I knew nothing about the film going in, but I expected a serious drama (maybe conflating it with Out of Africa) that I was absolutely not in the mood for, so the fact that it turned out to be "Swiss Family Robinson-meets-Shakespearean romantic foils" was a relief. There was enough snappy dialog and unusual filmmaking technique that it remained interesting throughout.

    Examples: Given the intermittent use of rear projection on the boat, I assumed most of the nature shots were reused stock footage, so I was surprised to learn Huston shot it all himself. The miniatures (and/or full-sized boat loaded with dummies) during the whitewater sequences were great. And the mosquito swarm effect was straight-up weird.

    I also rewatched the "I ain't sorry for you no more, ya crazy, psalm-singing, skinny old maid!" part at least five times. Like Paul, I felt their romance was kind of sudden and contrived, since it was apparent early on that Rose was horny for adventure, not Mr. Allnut's leathery ass.

    Amy & Paul: The implication of the "long pig" story was that they'd run out of food and the hunters had quietly started feeding the cast and crew human meat.

    • Like 5

  12. Posted

    15 hours ago, AlmostAGhost said:

    It felt like a lot of Amy's criticism was due to the people behind it, or the fans who misinterpret it, and not the film itself.  The film itself, maybe it had misogynist origins, but the end result is a critique of this mindset.  Which totally saves it, imo.  That subversion makes this movie.  Without it?  Ugh.

    I have to confess that I don't get the praise heaped upon Taxi Driver at all. It's a story about an isolated and psychologically unwell man who, in his alienation, becomes increasingly angry about his lot in life/the perceived failings of women and minorities/the state of the world until he concludes that the only way he can make his mark and right society's wrongs is through violence. And (overlooking Paul's alternate interpretation of the ending) Bickle is ultimately vindicated: he murders a bunch of "filth" to "rescue" an innocent, is hailed as a hero in the press, and even gains the grudging respect of the woman who once rejected him. Viewed for the first time in 2018, it reads more like Elliot Rodger apologia than a critique of misogyny.

    What am I missing? I am genuinely perplexed.

    • Like 3

  13. Posted

    5 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

    Dumb question.  What were the movies for Chicago and New York?  I know Yes, Giorgio was one of the BAM shows but what was the other?  On Facebook it says Never To Young to Die was a Largo show so have we heard the episode of the 2nd BAM show?

    The Chicago shows were Rad, Blues Brothers 2000, Striptease, and Hurricane Heist. The second BAM show was Beastly.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    I have to side with the naysayers, if rating it 3½ out of 5 stars can be considered naysaying. I found Gene Kelly almost entirely uncharismatic—he has the dead eyes of a mannequin whenever he smiles, although that may be him seething at his co-stars the entire time—and I didn't buy the romance. I went back and watched portions of Swing Time to compare and Fred Astaire genuinely appears to be having fun both on and off the dance floor. #TeamAstaire 4 LIFE.

    Debbie Reynolds, on the other hand, is magnetic every second she's on screen. I need to seek out more of her work, starting with her intriguing turn in Mega Man.

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    • Like 5

  15. Posted

    Speaking of babies, I forgot to mention in the All About Eve thread that I laughed aloud every time Bill called Eve "Junior".

    I don't think Paul and Amy came to an agreement on why Phyllis used a handkerchief to put the gun under the cushion. I think she called Nino after Neff said he was en route, and their plan was that Nino would arrive shortly after Neff (he did), sit in the predetermined spot (note how she only gets out of that seat to shoot Neff), and pull the gun at an opportune moment. She thus ensures her fingerprints won't be on the gun when another man is manipulated into doing her dirty work and taking the fall.

    It's an odd detail for the filmmakers to focus on after being so cavalier about Neff's fingerprints on the husband's crutches.

    • Like 4

  17. Posted

    Assorted footnotes:

    • Like Paul, I also assumed Addison DeWitt was gay from the outset, and I realized it was due to how much he reminded me of a young Stephen Fry.
    • Did anyone else notice the really odd use of rear-projection when Eve and DeWitt were "walking" to Eve's apartment? Why?
    • I've said this before but You Must Remember This is a true work of art and I hope Karina is a frequent return guest!

    P.S. Facebook users are the balcony monsters of Unspooled listenership.

    • Like 4

  18. Posted

    I've (very cautiously) figured out how to make modifications to the CSS and templates, so today I've:

    • Fixed the virtually invisible search box
    • Fixed the dark gray-on-dark gray options in the user menu (top right corner)
    • Added a link to Earwolf.com in the main navigation

    Let us know if there are any other outstanding issues.

    • Like 2

  22. Posted

    8 minutes ago, CameronH said:

    ETAA: Do you guys really need a reason for editing?

    The "reason for editing" field should be optional, according to the forum config. Is it requiring you to fill it out before it will allow you to edit?

    3 minutes ago, CameronH said:

    (Sorry to bug you with this, man. I'm sure you weren't really wanting to field this crap right now.)

    I'm seeing all of this for the first time, too, and I'm trying, Ringo. I'm trying real hard not to do the usual nerd-who-hates-change thing.

    • Thanks 1

  23. Posted

    12 minutes ago, CameronH said:

    Thanks for my quotes, Dan! I'm still looking for that dot. I just found the quick links at the top of the page "Home Earwolf Productions How Did This Get Made Musical Mondays..." Maybe I'm just missing it? I tried on Chrome and Edge (Chrome is better)

    Oh, I forgot that it turns into a star if you've already commented in the thread. It's here:

    star.png

    • huh? 1

  24. Posted

    6 minutes ago, CameronH said:

    One thing I miss is clicking on the thread title and it taking me to the last post I read. I clicked it now and it brought me to page one, post one. That's going to be annoying. Maybe I have to follow the thread?

    Click on the dot to the left of the thread title (assuming you're on desktop; I don't know how it looks on mobile) and it'll take you to the last unread item.

    4 minutes ago, CameronH said:

    Oh! And my quotes! My precious quotes are gone! Noooooooooooo!

    I just re-enabled signatures.

    • Thanks 3
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