Now Watching, Films/ movies discussion Options

[Callidus Thorn]

There was an Azog mentioned early in The Hobbit, by Gandalf to Thorin;

"Your grandfather Thror was killed, you remember, in the mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin."

But that's literally all there is.

And it wasn't Bilbo who kept the trolls up all night.

If you're committed to watching the films, watch them before reading the book. Otherwise you might not be able to finish watching them. But this is said as someone who knows some of the changes made, and refuses to watch the films on principle.

[hazmick]

I enjoyed the Hobbit trilogy, they were fun films with some nice special effects. As an adaptation from book to film it makes me scream "What the gosh darn heck was that!?". It's the same with Game of Thrones, and about 80% of the manga I've read. 1:1 adaptations are few and far between.

[SubRosa]

I liked the Hobbit films, as well as the LOTR ones. With the Hobbit in particular I was wondering how it was going to turn out, since as I recall the Hobbit was essentially a children's book, as opposed to LOTR, which was definitely aimed at adults. But I think the films turned out quite well.

I certainly did not mind the changes in either movie series. Print is a different medium than film, and some things have to be done differently between them. Not to mention the fact that Tolkien wrote the books 80 years ago, and the society we live is quite different from the one he wrote his novels for.

For example if someone had written the LOTR books today I am sure a third of the Fellowship of the Ring would have been female. Frodo is definitely a female part, as is at least Merry or Pippin (or both), likewise with Legolas (and granted the movies made him pretty enough that he may as well be female...) I for one loved the addition of Taariel. The series needs more prominent females, and that is just one example of how I think the movies improved on the original.

I also like the added screen time they gave to the Orc lieutenants like Azog and Bolg. Plus how the Orcs got to the Lonely Mountain in the last movie (not going to give away any spoilers). There is an old saying that a hero is only as good as the villain they fight. Seeing some honest to badness Orc champions like them helps keep thing interesting, by giving the heroes something to really struggle against.

The original Hobbit book also has it's share of issues that a have nothing to do with what society's lens you are looking at it through. Starting with the very start. Bilbo being a burglar is beyond stretching the imagination. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for him to have ever gotten involved with the dwarves. Speaking of the dwarves themselves, in the books they are utterly incompetent. They cannot walk down the road without being captured. They are like the French army of Middle Earth. How are we really supposed to believe these dunderheads are going to fight a dragon? Well, it turns out they didn't (either in the book or the films) so I suppose that did not turn out quite so bad. But at least in the movies I got the sense of the dwarves being competent at what they do - even ferocious. In the book they just seem like the Three Stooges.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 3 2015, 06:35 PM

[Decrepit]

I've done no movie watching lately, confining myself mainly but not exclusively to historic topics at YouTube. Watched several additional Mary Beard featured documentaries. Saw an informative and well done Metropolitan Museum of Art lecture on misconceptions of medieval armor.

Re-watched part one of a fascinating documentary on the American silent film. I could kick myself for not buying it on LaserDisc back in the day as, last I heard, it can not be released on DVD/Blu Ray due to royalty complications. (Amazon sells the set on VHS for $380US at the moment . . . no thanks.)

Watched the first few episodes of a recently launched Daggerfall LP.

As to the Jackson Hobbit/LoTR movies, I'm too much a Tolkien purest. There are some very nice scenes in his take on Fellowship. I liked it well enough to see Two Towers at a cinema on release . . . a rarity for me at the time (and now). That film soured me on Jackson's Tolkien. I've not watched another since.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Oct 4 2015, 02:09 AM

[mALX]

I've done no movie watching lately, confining myself mainly but not exclusively to historic topics at YouTube. Watched several additional Mary Beard featured documentaries. Saw an informative and well done Metropolitan Museum of Art lecture on misconceptions of medieval armor.


*


Watched the first few episodes of a recently launched Daggerfall LP.

As to the Jackson Hobbit/LoTR movies, I'm too much a Tolkien purest. There are some very nice scenes in his take on Fellowship. I liked it well enough to see Two Towers at a cinema on release . . . a rarity for me at the time (and now). That film soured me on Jackson's Tolkien. I've not watched another since.

I would so love to go to the MET and see that collection! What a great vid, though I'll admit laughing at the title, lol.

A vid on Daggerfall? THE Daggerfall (from TES)? GAAAAAAAH !!!!! I want to see it!

[SubRosa]

Yesterday I watched Fort Bliss. It was a wonderful movie about a woman returning from her second deployment in Afghanistan, to find that her young son no longer knows her. It does not pull any punches, and shows her warts and all as she struggles to raise her estranged son while juggling the realities of Army life.

I also got the first disc for I, Zombie, and have been having a lot of fun watching it. I have to admit, the whole brain eating parts are still a little gross. But all in all a fun show.

I also got the first disc for The Flash. But I could not get past the first episode. It is the same problem all the Marvel movies have: the plain whitebread protagonist. Of course I knew that going in. But the actor playing this particular protagonist just seemed thoroughly forgettable. Since I could not care less if this guy got killed in the first episode, I didn't bother watching any more.

It seems like all the young, white, male actors around these days are bland and dull. Where are the young Steve McQueens and John Waynes? All Hollywood wants to give us these days are the Shia LeBeofs and Sam Worthingtons. Or those other boring guys who starred in Godzilla, Pacific Rim, John Carter, The Amazing Spiderman reboots, and just about every other movie out lately. Are there no white men under 40 with any talent and/or charisma?

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 5 2015, 04:18 AM

[Destri Melarg]

Are there no white men under 40 with any talent and/or charisma?

Nope!

[Decrepit]

I would so love to go to the MET and see that collection! What a great vid, though I'll admit laughing at the title, lol.

A vid on Daggerfall? THE Daggerfall (from TES)? GAAAAAAAH !!!!! I want to see it!

Funny, after reading your short reply I clicked the Metropolitan link and watched the whole lecture again. Yes, 'the' Daggerfall. LPs and other videos based on it aren't uncommon. The LP I'm watching now, based on the few episodes I've seen, isn't one I'd go out of my way to link. I'll think on and try to find Daggerfall LPs I feel comfortable endorsing and link those instead.

Yesterday I watched Fort Bliss. It was a wonderful movie about a woman returning from her second deployment in Afghanistan, to find that her young son no longer knows her. It does not pull any punches, and shows her warts and all as she struggles to raise her estranged son while juggling the realities of Army life.

I also got the first disc for I, Zombie, and have been having a lot of fun watching it. I have to admit, the whole brain eating parts are still a little gross. But all in all a fun show.

I also got the first disc for The Flash. But I could not get past the first episode. It is the same problem all the Marvel movies have: the plain whitebread protagonist. Of course I knew that going in. But the actor playing this particular protagonist just seemed thoroughly forgettable. Since I could not care less if this guy got killed in the first episode, I didn't bother watching any more.

It seems like all the young, white, male actors around these days are bland and dull. Where are the young Steve McQueens and John Waynes? All Hollywood wants to give us these days are the Shia LeBeofs and Sam Worthingtons. Or those other boring guys who starred in Godzilla, Pacific Rim, John Carter, The Amazing Spiderman reboots, and just about every other movie out lately. Are there no white men under 40 with any talent and/or charisma?

I have a soft spot for what nowadays would likely be deemed old-style slightly more theatrical acting . . . though the modern more subdued style certainly has its place and can produce outstanding results. One of the movies I turn to when I want to watch and hear exemplary acting in the 1950 James Stewart 'Harvey'. Great script. Great oral and physical acting from almost the entire cast. There are certain scenes in it where I tend to tear up as much for the performers' delivery as anything else.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Oct 5 2015, 11:20 AM

[mALX]

Yesterday I watched Fort Bliss. It was a wonderful movie about a woman returning from her second deployment in Afghanistan, to find that her young son no longer knows her. It does not pull any punches, and shows her warts and all as she struggles to raise her estranged son while juggling the realities of Army life.

I also got the first disc for I, Zombie, and have been having a lot of fun watching it. I have to admit, the whole brain eating parts are still a little gross. But all in all a fun show.

I also got the first disc for The Flash. But I could not get past the first episode. It is the same problem all the Marvel movies have: the plain whitebread protagonist. Of course I knew that going in. But the actor playing this particular protagonist just seemed thoroughly forgettable. Since I could not care less if this guy got killed in the first episode, I didn't bother watching any more.

It seems like all the young, white, male actors around these days are bland and dull. Where are the young Steve McQueens and John Waynes? All Hollywood wants to give us these days are the Shia LeBeofs and Sam Worthingtons. Or those other boring guys who starred in Godzilla, Pacific Rim, John Carter, The Amazing Spiderman reboots, and just about every other movie out lately. Are there no white men under 40 with any talent and/or charisma?

I couldn't make it through one episode either. It wasn't a matter of the whitebread; but of the show as a whole. The acting wasn't exactly wooden; but it wasn't believable enough to be immersive. Dialogue bordered on trite, and was way too predictable. It wasn't eye-rolling or contrived like a few movies I tried to choke my way through this weekend; but it wasn't good enough to watch more than 7 minutes of without being able to predict the rest of the series and not caring how it gets to the end point.

[SubRosa]

Nope!

Sadly, that does seem to be the case. There are a lot of talented young white actresses around: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Page, Saorise Ronan, Dakota Fanning, etc... I hate to sound like a racist, but it seems like there are no white men of the same age who can stand beside them without wilting. If you want a young male actor who is interesting to watch it seems he has to be black, asian, or latino.

It would not be so bad, except that Hollywood keeps trying to shove these bland and boring guys like Sam Worthington down our throats and turn them into stars, no matter how wooden and talentless they are. This Jai Courtney guy from the last Die Hard movie seems to be latest one they are trying to make into a star. He just made me yawn every time I saw him. All I could think was put Bruce Willis back on the screen!

I have a soft spot for what nowadays would likely be deemed old-style slightly more theatrical acting . . . though the modern more subdued style certainly has its place and can produce outstanding results. One of the movies I turn to when I want to watch and hear exemplary acting in the 1950 James Stewart 'Harvey'. Great script. Great oral and physical acting from almost the entire cast. There are certain scenes in it where I tend to tear up as much for the performers' delivery as anything else.

I love to go back and watch Stagecoach. John Wayne was never an actor, but damned was he a movie star! The very first second you see him in that film he leaps out of the screen, a larger than life Western hero. He dominates every scene he is in. Your eyes just cannot look at anyone else when he is there. And he was just a young buck back then. Not the seasoned pro from films like The Searchers. Even when he got old, lumpy, and out of shape he still chewed up the scenery.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 5 2015, 03:51 PM

[mALX]

I hate to sound like a racist, but it seems like there are no white men of the same age who can stand beside them without wilting. If you want a young male actor who is interesting to watch it seems he has to be black, asian, or latino.

It would not be so bad, except that Hollywood keeps trying to shove these bland and boring guys like Sam Worthington down our throats and turn them into stars, no matter how wooden and talentless they are. This Jai Courtney guy from the last Die Hard movie seems to be latest one they are trying to make into a star. He just made me yawn every time I saw him. All I could think was put Bruce Willis back on the screen!

QFT.





And dear gods, did they try to make a Die Hard sequel without Bruce Willis sweating bullets through it? NO!





This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 5 2015, 05:05 PM

[Destri Melarg]

I have a soft spot for what nowadays would likely be deemed old-style slightly more theatrical acting . . . though the modern more subdued style certainly has its place and can produce outstanding results. One of the movies I turn to when I want to watch and hear exemplary acting in the 1950 James Stewart 'Harvey'. Great script. Great oral and physical acting from almost the entire cast. There are certain scenes in it where I tend to tear up as much for the performers' delivery as anything else.

Funny you should point out a film made in 1950, which was a great year for movies all around! In addition to Harvey you had:

All About Eve
Sunset Boulevard (one of my five favorite films of all time)
Cinderella
Born Yesterday
Rashomon
The Asphalt Jungle
Father of the Bride
In a Lonely Place (an incredibly under-rated Humphrey Bogart movie)
Outrage (a film about rape directed by the magnificent Ida Lupino)
Gun Crazy
D.O.A.
Treasure Island
Cyrano de Bergerac
Rio Grande
The Gunfighter
King Solomon’s Mines
Annie Get Your Gun
Cheaper by the Dozen
Winchester ’73
Panic in the Streets
The Furies (Walter Huston’s last performance)
Dark City (Charlton Heston’s first performance)
The Men (Marlon Brando’s screen debut)
No Way Out (Sidney Poitier’s screen debut)

*Yeah, another 'old' movie buff here.

[mALX]

Sidney Poitier could make you feel and believe everything he acted; you could see it in his eyes and facial expression and hear it in his voice. That is what I like, an actor who while they are performing you forget you are watching a play and feel like it is actually real and happening.






This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 5 2015, 06:48 PM

[Callidus Thorn]

Edit:

Meh, not worth it

This post has been edited by Callidus Thorn: Oct 5 2015, 10:09 PM

[SubRosa]

Come to think of it, Tom Hiddleston has charisma. And he does great impressions. So why doesn't Hollywood try to make him into a star? He'd have made a much better Flash. Then again, he'd make a much better anything...

[mALX]

Edit:

Meh, not worth it

But who was that a picture of? I didn't recognize him, and the URL address didn't tell.

[Callidus Thorn]

It was, in fact, Tom Hiddleston

Come to think of it, Tom Hiddleston has charisma. And he does great impressions. So why doesn't Hollywood try to make him into a star? He'd have made a much better Flash. Then again, he'd make a much better anything...

Because he is an English actor. Which, in accordance with Hollywood conventions, restricts him to playing cunning and dramatic villains

This post has been edited by Callidus Thorn: Oct 6 2015, 08:36 AM

[Grits]

Made it through about fifteen minutes of the premiere of the B*****d Executioner on FX last night. It's really trying hard to be the 13th century version of Vikings… but it all comes across as trite to me. I'll try to give it a legitimate shot over the weekend, but I'm not optimistic.

We’re still watching this (slowly) but I don’t think it will be a keeper. It feels very paint-by-numbers, and the ghost/vision thing makes my eyes roll. Maybe the main characters will die and we’ll get more Sam Spruell.

Callidus, while I read through the above posts I was thinking Tom Hiddleston!!

[mALX]

It was, in fact, Tom Hiddleston

Come to think of it, Tom Hiddleston has charisma. And he does great impressions. So why doesn't Hollywood try to make him into a star? He'd have made a much better Flash. Then again, he'd make a much better anything...

Because he is an English actor. Which, in accordance with Hollywood conventions, restricts him to playing cunning and dramatic villains

Not to mention:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXlevfK8a4

[SubRosa]

It was, in fact, Tom Hiddleston

Come to think of it, Tom Hiddleston has charisma. And he does great impressions. So why doesn't Hollywood try to make him into a star? He'd have made a much better Flash. Then again, he'd make a much better anything...

Because he is an English actor. Which, in accordance with Hollywood conventions, restricts him to playing cunning and dramatic villains

In War Horse he played a warm, kind, thoughtful, and all around good guy. It is one of the things that really sold me on his talent. He's not just a one-trick pony. He was also in Kenneth Branagh's version of Wallander, and he was a good guy there too (granted, that was a BBC production...)

Not to mention:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXlevfK8a4

Ahhh, Jaguar, for middle-aged men who want to get handjobs from women they don't even know...



I watched The Help last night for the second time. Such a fantastic movie. This time around I realized that the protagonist was being played by Valdi.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 6 2015, 08:40 PM