Spoilers What Movie Are You Watching?

[arkitect]

View attachment 779440 Again:

Excellent!
They really don't make 'em like this anymore.

I grew up reading Rafael Sabatini — and his Captain Blood was just the ultimate swashbuckling hero for a 9 year old boy.

Happy days!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Excellent!
They really don't make 'em like this anymore.

I grew up reading Rafael Sabatini — and his Captain Blood was just the ultimate swashbuckling hero for a 9 year old boy.

Happy days!

Agreed.

I remember reading the book "The Four Feathers" and seeing the (1939) movie; both brilliant.

 

[Huntn]

Sex & nudity.


It's America violence is always welcome.

A real condemnation about our values. You can have your young ones watch people being mowed down, but heaven forbid they see a breast or a reference to sexuality. The thing is sexuality is a normal, desirable trait, but murder and death are not, yet this is what we deem to be appropriate for viewing by kids.
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Excellent!
They really don't make 'em like this anymore.

I grew up reading Rafael Sabatini — and his Captain Blood was just the ultimate swashbuckling hero for a 9 year old boy.

Happy days!

I love Errol Flynn as Robin of Loxley.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A real condemnation about our values. You can have your young ones watch people being mowed down, but heaven forbid they see a breast or a reference to sexuality. The thing is sexuality is a normal, desirable trait, but murder and death are not, yet this is what we deem to be appropriate for viewing for kids.

I have long found it extraordinary that American movies are so prudish about any sexuality (especially female sexuality when viewed through any lens other than the (proverbial) male gaze, but also male sexuality - especially when viewed through a male gaze) but so - uninhibited and excessive and graphic and lurid - when depicting violence.

 

[Huntn]

I have long found it extraordinary that American movies are so prudish about sexuality (especially female sexuality viewed through any lens other than the (proverbial) male gaze, but also male sexuality - especially when viewed through a male gaze) but so - uninhibited and excessive and graphic and lurid - when depicting violence.

I’d counter it’s more public broadcast TV that are the prudes thanks to the FCC. In many movies, if R rated, there is probably some nudity. What I don’t care for is hardcore violence sanitized to pass as PG-13. You see this in the many movies rated for teens. Shot and killed, but minimal blood if any and no gore.

 

[RootBeerMan]

Watched the DC Universe movie adaption "The Death Of Superman". A really good adaption of the best selling comic. This one was set in a different universe than the comics, but was a really good adaption. I enjoyed it a lot. Can't wait to see the followup movie that its ending was set up for.

 

[arkitect]

I’d counter it’s more public broadcast TV that are the prudes thanks to the FCC. In many movies, if R rated, there is probably some nudity. What I don’t care for is hardcore violence sanitized to pass as PG-13. You see this in the many movies rated for teens. Shot and killed, but minimal blood if any and no gore.

Speaking for myself, I'd much rather see wobbly bits and bobs than gratuitous violence and gore.

Somewhere the idea crept in that watching humans or animals get sliced up, blown up, spilling blood and guts all in spectacular Technicolor pain is far more acceptable than seeing another human naked.

Just weird.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I’d counter it’s more public broadcast TV that are the prudes thanks to the FCC. In many movies, if R rated, there is probably some nudity. What I don’t care for is hardcore violence sanitized to pass as PG-13. You see this in the many movies rated for teens. Shot and killed, but minimal blood if any and no gore.

But the nudity - and the depiction of sexuality - in American movies is so clichéd; what you usually see is the female form - as depicted by the male gaze, but most emphatically not from a female perspective (irrespective of whether the female character is gay or heterosexual, or attracted to both) and male nudity - as in full male nudity - is hardly ever depicted, just rippling muscles and a honed torso.

I remember the frisson whenever male sexuality (that is, men who might have been attracted to men) was depicted onscreen in the US and the fear that an actor's career might be derailed as a consequence of choosing to play such a role (Philadelphia and Brokeback Mountain come to mind).

In parts of Europe, that issue had been addressed cinematically the best part of half a century earlier (Dirk Bogarde in Victim, for example).

 

[S.B.G]

I have long found it extraordinary that American movies are so prudish about sexuality (especially female sexuality viewed through any lens other than the (proverbial) male gaze, but also male sexuality - especially when viewed through a male gaze) but so - uninhibited and excessive and graphic and lurid - when depicting violence.

I would place money on the history of American prudes in broadcast TV dates way back to before the FCC. This countries ultra-religious, fundamental Protestant background laid a foundation that still permeates almost everything we have today. The post-WWII 1950's really made it more up front with the new technologies emerging and how they should be regulated for the masses.

 

[Huntn]

@Scepticalscribe I forgot to mention that I agree with you about the male perspective regarding sex, but I’d like to ask sincerely, how would the female sexual perspective be best portrayed, equality in nudity?

For example of what I typically see as the obligatory nudity and sex scenes, which are prevalent in shows like Game of Thrones. I realize the discussion may be getting close to PRSI, but I’m sure you can manage if you wish to describe the female perspective.
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But the nudity - and the depiction of sexuality - in American movies is so clichéd; what you usually see is the female form - as depicted by the male gaze, but most emphatically not from a female perspective (irrespective of whether the female character is gay or heterosexual, or attracted to both) and male nudity - as in full male nudity - is hardly ever depicted, just rippling muscles and a honed torso.

I remember the frisson whenever male sexuality (that is, men who might have been attracted to men) was depicted onscreen in the US and the fear that an actor's career might be derailed as a consequence of choosing to play such a role (Philadelphia and Brokeback Mountain come to mind).

In parts of Europe, that issue had been addressed cinematically the best part of half a century earlier (Dirk Bogarde in Victim, for example).

I agree. I admit it’s very rare to show a penis. It has happened, but not often. As far as homosexuality, we are seeing more of it portrayed in the States, most often in cable shows, but Modern Family on The ABC Network is an excellent example of a gay relationship, although it is mostly sanitized.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

@Scepticalscribe I forgot to mention that I agree with you about the male perspective regarding sex, but I’d like to ask sincerely, how would the female sexual perspective be best portrayed, equality in nudity?

For example of what I typically see as the obligatory nudity and sex scenes, which are prevalent in shows like Game of Thrones. I realize the discussion may be getting close to PRSI, but I’m sure you can manage if you wish to describe the female perspective.

It is possible to depict nudity - even female nudity - without leering or seeking to excite, titillate and arouse, or with that mixture of desire, distance, possessiveness and no small contempt that you sometimes find in "the male gaze".

If I had to generalise, I would say that female depictions of nudity would depict the nudity as an integral part of the person, (note, person - irrespective of her sexual orientation) - a natural part of the person, but not what solely or exclusively describes or defines that person. She is a person who is female, - with all that entails re plot and narrative (which will depend on era, and social class, race, ethnicity, and country) and that is what is described.

Likewise, it would be rare for a movie directed by - or where there was a significant female input - to fail the Bechdel Test.

Think of the way Jane Campion's (a movie directed by a woman) movie "The Piano" (which also featured male nudity, by the way, and very naturally) depicted the relationship between Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel - powerful, sensual, powerfully sexual and very affecting - but most emphatically not "the male gaze" where the woman is objectified and where her sexuality and sexual appeal (to the male viewer) is the only thing considered worth noting about her and is solely what defines her and describes her; this is a passionate (and forbidden) love affair depicted from a female perspective.

Ridley Scott's "Thelma and Louise" also managed to convey the female perspective very well.

I agree. I admit it’s very rare to show a penis. It has happened, but not often. As far as homosexuality, we are seeing more of it portrayed in the States, most often in cable shows, but Modern Family on The ABC Netowk is an excellent example of a gay relationship, although it is mostly sanitized.

Again, while I am delighted to see progress, the fact that it - depicting gay relationships - is "sanitised" is also very telling.

In European movies, you will (sometimes) see male nudity displayed naturally, - a guy gets out of bed and walks across the room, chatting to whosoever is still in the bed - and this is depicted as something that happens, naturally, (as it does in real life) rather being the focus of the scene in question.

Actually, it is almost as though the only acceptable passion that can be depicted in (some) American movies is expressed though lurid representations of violence (rather than through sexuality).

 

[Huntn]

This is a more serious discussion, then what movie we are watching so I started a new thread.

It is possible to depict nudity - even female nudity - without leering or seeking to excite and arouse, or with that mixture of desire, distance, possessiveness and some contempt that you sometimes find in "the male gaze".

If I had to generalise, I would say that female depictions of nudity would depict the nudity as an integral part of the person, (note, person - irrespective of her sexual orientation) - a natural part of the person, but not what solely or exclusively describes or defines that person. She is a person who is female, - with all that entails re plot and narrative (which will depend on era, and social class, race, ethnicity, and country) and that is what is described.

Likewise, it would be rare for a movie directed by - or where there was a significant female input - to fail the Bechdel Test.

Think of the way Jane Campion's (a movie directed by a woman) movie "The Piano" (which also featured male nudity, by the way, and very naturally) depicted the relationship between Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel - powerful, sensual, powerfully sexual and very affecting - but most emphatically not "the male gaze" where the woman is objectified and where her sexuality and sexual appeal (to the male viewer) is the only thing considered worth noting about her and is solely what defines her and describes her; this is a passionate (and forbidden) love affair depicted from a female perspective.

Ridley Scott's "Thelma and Louise" also managed to convey the female perspective very well.

Again, while I am delighted to see progress, the fact that it - depicting gay relationships - is "sanitised" is also very telling.

In European movies, you will (sometimes) see male nudity displayed naturally, - a guy gets out of bed and walks across the room, chatting to whosoever is still in the bed - and this is depicted as something that happens, naturally, (as it does in real life) rather being the focus of the scene in question.

Actually, it is almost as though the only acceptable passion that can be depicted in (some) American movies is expressed though lurid representations of violence (rather than through sexuality).

Answered in PRSI: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/female-vs-male-perspectives-about-sex.2135296/

 

[kazmac]

Just finished this again. Perfect movie...one of my fondest memories was actually seeing it upon release with my oldest sister. Never get tired of it.

*
Edited as I see Huntn’s response above.

 

[S.B.G]

I watched Darkest Hour (2017) the other week and echo the thoughts of everyone here today on it. I was more or less 'meh' with it.

However, after seeing the other two HBO movies about Churchill mentioned I decided to watch them.

I just finished The Gathering Storm (2002) and am about to start Into The Storm now (2009). I found The Gathering Storm to be much more enjoyable and stimulating than Darkest Hour.

 

[LizKat]

Had a bit of a senior moment there and thought you were referring to Hostile.
Rottentomatoes quote "Stuck in her car, with a broken leg, in the middle of an unforgiving desert, she must survive the perils of the post-apocalypse, while a strange creature prowls around."
Wasn't sure I'd be up to watching that either!

However, Hostiles definitely seem worth a look in. It's on to my short list as well.

Thanks for that heads up... indeed. I'll take care to use the plural when I go looking for the recommended film.

 

[Huntn]

Extinction (2018)- Netflix original movie, a sci-fi thriller, about a man who has dreams of an alien invasion. The movie is 1 hr, 35 minutes and thankfully heavy action starts 30 min in which is nothing memorable, but keeps it lively. The story includes a significant plot twist which makes it minimally worthy. This could have been much more. How’s that for a reccomendation?

​

This does make me want to watch The Arrival (1996) again.

​

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Has anyone seen Cold War yet?

It has received excellent reviews.

 

[arkitect]

Has anyone seen Cold War yet?

It has received excellent reviews.

Not yet… but the reading the Guardian's review, its use of music has caught my attention.
A mix of folk songs with "jazz and song arrangements”.

No soundtrack yet — I have found Marcin Masecki on Spotify… currently listening to his 2018 album — Ragtime. Which might give an idea of the film's soundscape.
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I watched Darkest Hour (2017) the other week and echo the thoughts of everyone here today on it. I was more or less 'meh' with it.

However, after seeing the other two HBO movies about Churchill mentioned I decided to watch them.

I just finished The Gathering Storm (2002) and am about to start Into The Storm now (2009). I found The Gathering Storm to be much more enjoyable and stimulating than Darkest Hour.
View attachment 779514 View attachment 779515

Yes, I'd go along with that.
The Gathering Storm is the superior film.
Like you I have Into the Storm on my list.

 

[S.B.G]

Yes, I'd go along with that.
The Gathering Storm is the superior film.
Like you I have Into the Storm on my list.

I watched both yesterday, back to back and both were very good.

 

[RootBeerMan]

Not a movie, but an article about my all time, favourite movie from the 80's. I saw this one in the theatre about 30 times, over the years and it has just never gotten old, for me. Have it on DVD now, so I can watch it any time I wish. This movie was so well written and the actors had so much fun making it, that it showed throughout the movie. Cool thing is how many of the actors in this little cult favourite went on to be big stars, even today! If you have never seen this flick, I highly suggest you put it in your queue and fire it up. It's not great cinema, just a great 80's movie.

http://theweek.com/articles/793569/...ventures-buckaroo-banzai-across-8th-dimension

If you're going to portray a brilliant neurosurgeon who got so bored fixing brains he traveled the world to master martial arts and particle physics, fronts a rock band of gun-toting scientists, and encounters alien life while driving into the eighth dimension, you kind of have to play it straight.

And Peter Weller does. His Buckaroo Banzai is as cool as an ice cold Jolt. In fact, the entire cast of the 1984 cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension — with the understandable exception of John Lithgow, who plays an alien-possessed Italian scientist — acts as if confronting an alien invasion and mastering inter-dimensional travel are just sort of what you do with your day. The aliens — the good Black Lectroids and bad Red Lectroids, both from Planet 10 — are all named John. And most of the movie takes place in New Jersey.

It is, in other words, the cinematic equivalent of a Daniel Pinkwater novel — offbeat, sharp, original. It opened in August 1984, near the end of the summer of Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. It bombed at the box office.

But it found new life on VHS, then DVD, and now you can watch it on Amazon Prime or Hulu, rent it on most online video repositories, or probably check it out from your local library. It has a devoted cult following. And it deserves it.

To say that this film has everything isn't quite true. There's music — Buckaroo and his band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, perform in a New Jersey club, and you'll have the old Skyliners hit "Since I Don't Have You" stuck in your head afterward — and gun fights, spaceships, lasers, unexplained jokes (Google "Buckaroo Banzai" and "watermelon"), Jeff Goldblum in a cowboy outfit, a hint of a love story, a long-lost twin, low-fi holograms, a car chase, and science. But there's no slick, covert, quasi-governmental agency with a gazillion-dollar black budget, and no nefarious government conspiracy. CGI wasn't an option in 1984, and the special effects are minimal for a sci-fi action adventure movie. The costumes and music are dated — the entire movie feels like inhaling a concentrated elixir of 1984 — though the story and acting feel fresh.

Buckaroo Banzai is also slightly disorienting. You're dropped into the middle of the movie, and it never waits for you to figure out exactly what's going on. There's no foreshadowing — you find out what's going on at the same time they do. All the characters feel fully realized and you never learn their backstories. Buckaroo Banzai is the star of his own comic book, he has a fan club that's like a well-armed version of Sherlock Holmes' Baker Street Irregulars, a compound that's a science lab and also the headquarters for his band, and he has a direct line to the president.

The script, a long labor of love by Earl Mac Rauch, isn't full of holes, just untold stories. The movie is its own self-contained world, and the viewer is just along for the ride.

Buckaroo Banzai is, in many important ways, the polar opposite of today's Marvel blockbusters, the new measuring stick for all superhero or sci-fi franchises. For one thing, it isn't a franchise, despite promising a sequel — Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League — at the end of movie. But more importantly, Buckaroo Banzai is a human-scale story. Other than Buckaroo and the Lectroids, you could plausibly be any other member of the ensemble, in a way that you could never join SHIELD or the Guardians of the Galaxy. None of the heroes in Buckaroo Banzai have supernatural powers. The first time you see guns, it's a funny surprise, because the movie doesn't start out as that kind of action movie. The dialogue doesn't feel forced. The film isn't polished like a cut infinity stone. You watch Buckaroo Banzai, and every Marvel movie looks like it's trying too hard.

This is no dig at the Marvel Cinematic Universe — tens of millions of ticket-buyers aren't wrong — but sometimes it's nice not to be spoon-fed your adventure movies. Buckaroo Banzai doesn't make you work hard, but the more you think about the movie, the more you appreciate its quirky intricacies, it's quiet, wild ambition. In a world that's increasingly over-the-top and operatic in its sensibilities, it's nice to be reminded that no matter where you go, there you are.

 

[rhett7660]

Again, while I am delighted to see progress, the fact that it - depicting gay relationships - is "sanitised" is also very telling.

In European movies, you will (sometimes) see male nudity displayed naturally, - a guy gets out of bed and walks across the room, chatting to whosoever is still in the bed - and this is depicted as something that happens, naturally, (as it does in real life) rather being the focus of the scene in question.

Actually, it is almost as though the only acceptable passion that can be depicted in (some) American movies is expressed though lurid representations of violence (rather than through sexuality).

I would lean towards the show being on the "sanitized" side of the spectrum because it is on one of the non-cable channels. If you were to watch shows that were made for a cable channel, which the ones referenced here are not. The same can go for heterosexual relationships, they are sanitized in the same way.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

View attachment 779504

Just finished this again. Perfect movie...one of my fondest memories was actually seeing it upon release with my oldest sister. Never get tired of it.

*
Edited as I see Huntn’s response above.

Love watching it knowing that if the hero just did nothing, everything would have worked out better!

 

[D.T.]

View attachment 779504

Just finished this again. Perfect movie...one of my fondest memories was actually seeing it upon release with my oldest sister. Never get tired of it.

*
Edited as I see Huntn’s response above.

Top 10 ... of all time, any genre

And that's a glorious bit of poster art by the amazing Richard Amsel, you know, back when actual artists made them vs. interins using Photoshop ...

 

[rhett7660]

View attachment 779504

Just finished this again. Perfect movie...one of my fondest memories was actually seeing it upon release with my oldest sister. Never get tired of it.

*
Edited as I see Huntn’s response above.

Top 10 ... of all time, any genre

And that's a glorious bit of poster art by the amazing Richard Amsel, you know, back when actual artists made them vs. interins using Photoshop ...

One of my all time favorite movies. Watched it over the weekend also.

Another thing I love about this poster, is the name is the original name and not the new one, not to mention it is a darn good looking poster to boot!

 

[kazmac]

One of my all time favorite movies. Watched it over the weekend also.

Another thing I love about this poster, is the name is the original name and not the new one, not to mention it is a darn good looking poster to boot!

I purposely searched for the original poster and not the new one. Raiders -like Escape From New York- will always be in my all time favorite movies list.