Let’s Talk Movies! #31: Pandas, Zombies, Male Models, Superheroes, Greeks and…Caesar!

[PeterG]

I just saw an ad in Entertainment Weekly for the return of "Project Greenlight" on HBO. It's the TV series where first-time filmmakers compete to be the one whose project is made into a feature film. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are executive producers. It was tough not to look at the poster and think about the idea of diversity in the film industry. The poster features ten people. Nine are white and one is African-American. No other races are included. Eight of the ten are male, all are white. The African-American person in the poster is female and she is at the far right of the group photo. If the photographer moved his camera slightly, she would be gone. The other female is very far in the back (extreme left), 95% blocked by the white male in front of her. All you can see of her is three-quarters of her head and that has been given a faded treatment to bring those in the foreground more to our attention.

A strange thing about this is that Damon and Affleck represent a more forward-thinking type of view compared to old-school Hollywood. But even they become examples of a subtle form of racism.

I'm glad that other entertainers have had the guts to speak up about how their industry is failing all of us. Entertainment gives us a window to see the world in new, exciting and inspiring way. When the window is blacked out in any way (sorry for that!!!), all of our lives become a bit more limited. We all deserve more. More out of our entertainment and more out of life.

 

[gk_891]

Has anyone seen the original The Hills Have Eyes by Wes Craven? I think it came out in 1977. It has some very stupid moments but it also has some extremely creepy and scary moments too. I was surprised at how effective some of those moments were.

Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkdskdFemWM

 

[PeterG]

Just realized I could probably find the poster I referred to online. Here it is:

http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/project-greenlight-poster.jpg

Like I mentioned with the African-American woman on the right being easily cropped out of the photo...that's exactly what they have done in this slightly different photo to the only other woman in the shot. Even less of her face is visible than in the version show in Entertainment Weekly...

 

[Jay42]

I understand about the latest films (although everything is available in Russian as soon as it hits US cinemas) but all classics are available online and many of them on youtube.

I do understand it if there are data and Internet speed related issues though as a poster mentioned.

Maybe it's a European thing - we don't really do DVDs anymore.

It's illegal in the States to download/stream movies from 3rd party websites. The U.S. copyright laws are a lot more stringent and they aren't afraid to sue people for downloading movies. In Canada it's more of a grey area, where streaming movies from 3rd party websites is legal but downloading them isn't. But the likelihood of being prosecuted in Canada is pretty minimal. I'm not totally sure where England stands on the downloading/streaming from 3rd party sites. I know they are harsher on it than we are in Canada, but I don't think they are as harsh as the States.

Most of the classics on YouTube are ones that aren't under copyright anymore, I love that they are on there because to buy a lot of those movies can cost a fortune and the actual video and sound quality isn't great. I've found some of the copyright free movies in random box sets but the quality isn't always very good. I've found better quality versions of some movies on YouTube. So now I just look at the box sets to see which movies are interesting then search them on YouTube first.

 

[watchthis!!]

Fans walk out of new Daniel Radcliffe movie: report
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/01/24/fans-walk-out-of-new-daniel-radcliffe-movie-report

Ohmigosh...from what this article says about the movie...this one could be a real hot mess!!

 

[gk_891]

Any fans of Zhang Yimou? I thought he was at his best during the late 80s to the early 90s when he collaborated with Gong Li.

Red Sorghum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDMO7Rs6NMg

Ju Dou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4IaNzofg0w

Raise the Red Lantern (my favourite Zhang Yimou film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yo8bvg0MAg

I think most of these movies take place in the early twentieth century before the communist takeover. The one movie of his that I can recall of that takes place in contemporary China was The Story of Qiu Ju but that movie is harder to find.

 

[Artemis@BC]

Fans walk out of new Daniel Radcliffe movie: report
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/01/24/fans-walk-out-of-new-daniel-radcliffe-movie-report

Ohmigosh...from what this article says about the movie...this one could be a real hot mess!!

Only 9 reviews on RT so far, but 6 are positive and 3 negative.

One of the positive ones: "An inventively dizzying concoction of farts and feelings. Seriously."

One of the negative: "This particular weirdness tumbles into juvenile relationship riffs and goofy setpieces, leaving any real grasp of ideas out of reach, as if it is jetting away on a fart-driven corpse."

So I'm now sufficiently curious enough to want to see it ... but only for free.

 

[agalisgv]

Raise the Red Lantern (my favourite Zhang Yimou film)

A very depressing movie . I find Chinese films in general to be rather focused on fate and hopelessness. Not exactly pleasant viewing

 

[MacMadame]

I have passes to "Disney Presents: The Finest Hours". I had no idea what this movie is about when I took the free passes. I figured with Chris Pine and Casey Affleck in it and being put on by Disney, it was worth a shot.

Except it's got 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and also it turns out it's about a "daring rescue at sea" which is not really something I want to watch a movie about.

So I'm trying to give them away and no one wants them.

 

[gk_891]

A very depressing movie . I find Chinese films in general to be rather focused on fate and hopelessness. Not exactly pleasant viewing

Quite true though. There was another great Chinese director from that generation named Tian Zhuangzhuang who also made brilliantly depressing movies.

I remember when these movies came out, it was heavily advertised that many of these Zhang Yimou movies were banned in China. But I learned later on from classmates from China that that was completely false and they played in theatres all across the country at the time of their release. I wonder why something false would be advertised like that.

 

[agalisgv]

Quite true though. There was another great Chinese director from that generation named Tian Zhuangzhuang who also made brilliantly depressing movies.

It's not even that they are depressing, it's that the story arc seems to be headed towards some type of liberative resolution, only to be utterly smashed by the end. The betrayal of hope and frustrated expectations such movies generate can be emotionally draining.

I wonder why something false would be advertised like that.

Propaganda to show how open and free the US is compared to communist China? Just a guess...

 

[PeterG]

Weekend Domestic Chart for January 22nd, 2016

The Revenant finally takes the #1 spot after five weeks of release. Such determination in the face of adversity. (Hey…that might make a good movie…) It made just over 16 million, two more than Star Wars, which moves back up to #2 as Ride Along 2 falls from first place to third. Which is fine as Ride Along 2 has made about 70 million worldwide, which covers the production budget and probably the publicity budget as well. Great new considering the rottentomatoes critic score for this movie is 13%...

The next three spots are all debuts, Dirty Grandpa at #4, The Boy at #5 and The 5th Wave at #6. I had heard that Dirty Grandpa was getting horrible reviews, so I expected it to bomb at the box office. And The 5th Wave I thought was going to be battling for the #1 spot for the week…but what do I know! All three made between eleven and twelve million this weekend. The Boy might come out the biggest winner of these three as it’s production budget was only 10 million (The 5th Wave’s budget was 38 million and I couldn’t find anything for Dirty Grandpa…not a good sign, perhaps).

Movies that make big revenue jumps from last week include:

+143% - The Lady In The Van
+76% - Room
+66% - 45 Years

Box office thresholds passed/reached:

850 million – Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
100 million – The Revenant
50 million - Joy
50 million – The Hateful Eight
50 million – The Big Short
50 million – Ride Along 2

 

[Kasey]

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/26/10833184/birth-of-a-nation-sundance-record-fox-deal-nate-parker

The slave revolt film "Birth of a Nation" seems to be an early Oscar contender, and a "must see" at this point.

 

[Cachoo]

Just realized I could probably find the poster I referred to online. Here it is:

http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/project-greenlight-poster.jpg

Like I mentioned with the African-American woman on the right being easily cropped out of the photo...that's exactly what they have done in this slightly different photo to the only other woman in the shot. Even less of her face is visible than in the version show in Entertainment Weekly...

It is so odd that Hollywood is so good at agitating for change unless it involves them personally. We've gone on long enough with women in film having an expiration date because the producers want f***able women. (their words) And of course the Academy is not a diverse bunch. I'm glad Sony was exposed by hackers because it did bring problems into the limelight. I wouldn't mind seeing other studio hacks if truth be told. ITA about EW. You would think they would know better by now. And this is the publication that made Jen Lawrence their entertainer of the year because of her outspokenness on the pay issue.

 

[PeterG]

It is so odd that Hollywood is so good at agitating for change unless it involves them personally.

Well, to play Devil's Advocate, Damon and Affleck were bringing back Project Greenlight after many years off the air and I'm sure they just wanted to go with the people who they thought they'd most likely have a hit movie with. That being said, what does it say about the state of things that the surest bets - with one...or maybe two? - exceptions...all happened to be white males? My guess is this advertisement might not have even been seen by Damon & Affleck. There was probably an advertising team that was responsible for it. I'm not sure if the ten people in this photo were even there at the same time...it's probably one person photoshopped over top of another person, etc.

We've gone on long enough with women in film having an expiration date because the producers want f***able women. (their words)

This made me think of that Amy Schumer sketch that she said she worked on for a really long time because she knew she had to get it just right. The full sketch isn't available online, but there is a bit of it here:

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss - Last F***able Day

I'm glad Sony was exposed by hackers because it did bring problems into the limelight. I wouldn't mind seeing other studio hacks if truth be told.

I have to admit I love that this happened. And that the nasty crap that goes on was exposed. Getting to see what some people have to deal with in their careers.

ITA about EW. You would think they would know better by now. And this is the publication that made Jen Lawrence their entertainer of the year because of her outspokenness on the pay issue.

Just to clarify, this was only an ad that Entertainment Weekly ran. I wouldn't have wanted them to censor it. The advertisement was HBO/Project Greenlight/Matt Damon & Ben Affleck. EW was just the messenger.

 

[Cachoo]

Well, to play Devil's Advocate, Damon and Affleck were bringing back Project Greenlight after many years off the air and I'm sure they just wanted to go with the people who they thought they'd most likely have a hit movie with. That being said, what does it say about the state of things that the surest bets - with one...or maybe two? - exceptions...all happened to be white males? My guess is this advertisement might not have even been seen by Damon & Affleck. There was probably an advertising team that was responsible for it. I'm not sure if the ten people in this photo were even there at the same time...it's probably one person photoshopped over top of another person, etc.



This made me think of that Amy Schumer sketch that she said she worked on for a really long time because she knew she had to get it just right. The full sketch isn't available online, but there is a bit of it here:

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss - Last F***able Day



I have to admit I love that this happened. And that the nasty crap that goes on was exposed. Getting to see what some people have to deal with in their careers.



Just to clarify, this was only an ad that Entertainment Weekly ran. I wouldn't have wanted them to censor it. The advertisement was HBO/Project Greenlight/Matt Damon & Ben Affleck. EW was just the messenger.

Peter..I want to see that Schumer sketch! I always liked the way she would often use Bridget Everett in her show. (And I love Bridget's act.) The tennis sketch made me laugh and got it's point across very well.
https://youtu.be/bPPqE-MA7Mo Long live Schumerenka!

Back to movies---it's money driven business and I applaud the people who take chances on women-driven films. I think it is going to have to be women financing women though not exclusively. I think they have to stay in the lead, or take the lead.

 

[PeterG]

Peter..I want to see that Schumer sketch! I always liked the way she would often use Bridget Everett in her show. (And I love Bridget's act.) The tennis sketch made me laugh and got it's point across very well.
https://youtu.be/bPPqE-MA7Mo Long live Schumerenka!

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country.

Sorry about that."

 

[Cachoo]

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country.

Sorry about that."

Those goobers: In this Amy was the ultra-sexy Shumerenka who grunted and posed and was oogled but lost the tennis match to Bridget Everett who was a large woman who also grunted and was called out for it and had far less attention than the sexy Shumerenka. Amy was funny and the point was made.

 

[Artemis@BC]

Netflix just announced that they're removing the following titles on Feb 1:

“Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein”
“Asylum”
“Bad Santa”
“Benny and Joon”
“Big Fish”
“Blue Crush”
“Classic Doctor Who: Collections 1-18”
“Crocodile Dundee 2”
“The Dancer Upstairs”
“Daylight”
“Doctor Who,” Seasons 1-8
“The Firm”
“Fletch”
“Gifted Hands”
“Gothika”
“The Hurt Locker”
“The Naked Gun”
“Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult”
“Rain Man”
“Ray”
“Secrets and Lies,” Season 1
“Sorority Row”
“The Terminator”
“Terms of Endearment”

Nothing there I can't live without. Though my brother will be ticked, he still hasn't caught up on Doctor Who ...

 

[Artemis@BC]

And Netflix will be adding a ton more titles in February, in addition to their original TV series I listed in the TV thread. Too many to copy, so go here for the full list.

 

[Jay42]

Artemis@BC the last time that Doctor Who was due to expire fans freaked out and the contract/license got renewed so if enough people get mad it might be safe.

 

[MacMadame]

What, no more Bad Santa?

 

[agalisgv]

Saw The Revenant. That had to be one of the most unpleasant movie experiences of all time. Just torture all the way through.

If you don't like gore and incredible violence, this movie is not for you. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was less violent than this....

 

[Xela M]

Saw The Revenant. That had to be one of the most unpleasant movie experiences of all time. Just torture all the way through.

If you don't like gore and incredible violence, this movie is not for you. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was less violent than this....

I agree.

And when Leo

Spoiler

ate raw liver and crawled inside a dead horse

I just had to laugh out loud. How far a man is prepared to go to get an Oscar

 

[PeterG]

I really liked American Ultra, very good movie idea and really well executed. Shame it didn't do well at the box office. Jesse Eisenberg can be hit or miss for me as to whether I enjoy him (The Social Network) or am annoyed by him. Kristen Stewart is good, but it's more Eisenberg's movie than hers. Connie Britten does well with her smaller role. Like how it set up so well for a sequel, but since the box office wasn't good (25 million box office on a 28 million budget), I doubt there will be a part two. Very good movie at being many things (comedy, action, drama) and succeeding at everything they tried for.

Peter if you enjoyed The Hunting Ground, I'd be curious your thoughts on The Mask You Live In. Not sure if it's available at the library yet. I've seen it pop up at special local screenings. They say they're heading to Netflix. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc45-ptHMxo

Looks like it hasn't been released yet. It's only played a few film festivals and according to the imdb.com, it's available only to be seen for those who want to do a private screening. Guess they couldn't find a distributor, but are holding the movie from streaming of Netflix hoping to get it into theatres some way, some how? Either way, it looks very interesting and it's on my list of movie to see.

Vash listed the big awards....listed a few more---some part of the Critics Awards ceremony and some not....

...

BEST SONG -- "See You Again", Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, "Furious 7"

I am SO glad this song did not get an Academy Award nomination. I'll only be happy if Til It Happens To You (Lady Gaga) or Earned It (The Weeknd) wins.

 

[Buzz]

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/26/10833184/birth-of-a-nation-sundance-record-fox-deal-nate-parker

The slave revolt film "Birth of a Nation" seems to be an early Oscar contender, and a "must see" at this point.

You reminded me of this quote from a recent time magazine article:

Correspondent Roy Wood Jr. listed the films starring black actors that have gotten nominated for Oscars in recent ears—Django Unchained, Selma and 12 Years a Slave—and pointed out that they’re all about black oppression and specifically slavery. “White people love feeling bad about how they treated black people,” he said. “So to make a hit black movie, you need a whip, a firehose or a negro spiritual.”

http://time.com/4182593/the-daily-show-oscars-nominations-oscarssowhite/

 

[watchthis!!]

I watched Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation the other day. Was excited to see it after loving Rebecca Ferguson in The Red Tent. Rogue Nation is a completely well-made movie and I enjoyed all the movie-making skill that is so evident on the screen. But I was disappointed (slightly) on a few levels. I felt the movie had more of a Bond vibe than I expected, almost making me wonder if whoever directed Spectre directed this one right afterwards! Although this one has a MUCH lighter feel overall. I also felt to a small extent that "I've already seen this movie". And Rebecca Ferguson did all she could with her role, but it just didn't have the depth (or the screen time) that The Red Tent allowed her.

On the plus side, I was glad to see Simon Pegg have a more important role in this one. Now if the same could be done with future installments for Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames, that would be cool! And Cruise has a few funny moments where he gives a wary look about what he's about to get into, or a short comment about the extreme situation he's in that is very subtle work, but powerful in the humour it brings to the movie.

And some intriguing movie news:

Joseph Fiennes To Play Michael Jackson In 9/11 Road Trip Drama
https://ca.movies.yahoo.com/post/138156477601/joseph-fiennes-to-play-michael-jackson-in-911

I think with Fiennes as Jackson, Brian Cox as Brando, and Stockard Channing as Taylor, this could be a lot of fun...even though at first glance it looks destined for hot mess-dom!

 

[Xela M]

And some intriguing movie news:

Joseph Fiennes To Play Michael Jackson In 9/11 Road Trip Drama
https://ca.movies.yahoo.com/post/138156477601/joseph-fiennes-to-play-michael-jackson-in-911

I think with Fiennes as Jackson, Brian Cox as Brando, and Stockard Channing as Taylor, this could be a lot of fun...even though at first glance it looks destined for hot mess-dom!

Oh dear... Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor - what could go wrong?!

Nevertheless, I'll watch it

 

[Cachoo]

Sometimes I don't know about the choices HBO makes regarding films they choose to broadcast. "Unfriended" could have been called "Unwatchable." Maybe my teenaged niece would enjoy it but I thought it was a waste to two hours. Oh well...live and learn.

 

[PeterG]

New movies coming out this weekend:

Jan. 29th - The Finest Hours – Action drama with Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I0ifMz5PbQ

Jan. 29th - Kung Fu Panda 3 - Animated action comedy with Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson and J. K. Simmons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw

Jan. 29th - Jane Got a Gun - Action drama with Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Santoro, Noah Emmerich and Boyd Holbrook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm7qxI3gmpw

Jan. 29th - Fifty Shades of Black - Comedy with Marlon Wayans, Jane Seymour, Fred Willard and Mike Epps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1pOTTcdRO8

Jan. 29th - Rabin, The Last Day (Limited) – Docudrama. From imdb.com: “Itzhak Rabin's murder ended all efforts of peace, and with him the whole left wing of Israel died. The movie shows the last of his days as prime minister, and what led to his murder.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMoG9Sue_9s

Jan. 29th – Mountain Men – Comedy with Chace Crawford and Tyler Labine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiRpbRx8h2o

Jan. 29th – A Date With Miss Fortune (Limited), new cast. From imdb.com: “When Jack gets rescued by Maria, a superstitious Portuguese beauty, he has no idea that his life and luck are both about to change.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qqBbtJWCUk

Jan. 29th – Portrait of a Serial Monogamist (L.A.) – Romantic comedy drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “An accomplished breakup artist leaves her long-standing girlfriend to pursue a younger woman, but did she make a mistake?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcgJ7uqT1yY

Jan. 29th - Lazer Team (Limited) – Action Sci-Fi Comedy, new cast. From imdb.com: “Four losers are thrust into the position of saving the world when they stumble upon a UFO crash site and become genetically equipped to the battle suit on board.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMPJog_E2A4

Jan. 29th - Mean Girls: The Reunion – Comedy with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezf5vJgTTz0