Cinéma vérité - and all other types

[LittleArmadillo0]

 

 

[SonicMage117]

They kinda did that in MiB 3 with time travel shenanigens, Josh Brolin did a great job.

That's pretty awesome! I don't think I ever saw that one

[Blarghagh]

It was okay. The villain was entertaining. Better than MiB 2, worse than the original.

 

Tried to watch "Mandy". Lasted 10 minutes. I thought that was a revenge thriller, not an experimental art film.

 

Watched Christopher Robin instead, which was delightful.

[Gfted1]

Huh, reading the Wiki plot summary, apparently I never saw MiB3 either!

 

Wonder if its on Netflix or Amazon...

[Amentep]

Tried to watch "Mandy". Lasted 10 minutes. I thought that was a revenge thriller, not an experimental art film.

 

 

You'll probably want to skip Panos Cosmatos' Beyond the Black Rainbow too then.  I'm pretty sure its more experimental than Mandy.

[algroth]

 

Tried to watch "Mandy". Lasted 10 minutes. I thought that was a revenge thriller, not an experimental art film.

 

 

You'll probably want to skip Panos Cosmatos' Beyond the Black Rainbow too then.  I'm pretty sure its more experimental than Mandy.

 

I'd suggest skipping Beyond the Black Rainbow because it's an awful film, experimental or otherwise. Haven't seen Mandy yet but I'm planning on doing so some time.

[Amentep]

haha, fair enough.  I know some people who thought BBR was awesome.  Haven't seen it or Mandy myself yet.

[algroth]

haha, fair enough.  I know some people who thought BBR was awesome.  Haven't seen it or Mandy myself yet.

 

I think there's about five minutes' worth of interesting stylistic choices in it, but the film has little else going for it and it all does become a little redundant and stagnant over the course of an entire film. For what it's worth, when I learned that the next Panos Cosmatos film was with Nic Cage I felt that at the very least he'd be able to add some vigour to the whole thing and elevate it from the narcoleptic experience that his former film felt like. I've also heard that it's just a more enjoyable film all around. So, looking forward to it, even if not necessarily meaking it a priority right now.

Edited December 20, 2018 by algroth

[Lexx]

Mandy was cool, but yes, the beginning is kinda dragging.

[algroth]

 

Just posting this before the internet implodes from a combination of RLM and cat videos.

[Hurlshort]

MiB 3 is worth it just to watch Smith deliver his line about city miles to Josh Brolin.

[injurai]

I look forward to a new era of MIB tbh. Hopefully they are at least solid fun films. I only ever saw the first Kingsman but that filed what I felt to be a similar niche as the original MIBs.

 

I hope Hemsworth plays it pretty straight a lot of the time, the vet / rookie formula is really what makes those films so fun.

[SonicMage117]

Hemsworth just doesn't seem like a Men In Black person but I hope to be proven wrong.

[Katphood]

L.A Confidential

 

A noir movie made in the 90's set in 50's L.A.

 

You know it can't get better than this.

[Malcador]

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

[Orogun01]

 

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

 

His anger felt justified to me, maybe that's what made him sympathetic.

[algroth]

 

 

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

 

His anger felt justified to me, maybe that's what made him sympathetic.

 

The issue isn't the justification or lack thereof, but the way in which he responds to those triggers. It's kind of what makes a villain a sympathetic villain: relatable motivations to justify questionable deeds.

[Orogun01]

 

 

 

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

 

His anger felt justified to me, maybe that's what made him sympathetic.

 

The issue isn't the justification or lack thereof, but the way in which he responds to those triggers. It's kind of what makes a villain a sympathetic villain: relatable motivations to justify questionable deeds.

 

So you never had enough bull**** to run your cup over? You never yelled at a telemarketer for bothering you after a hard day, or did something in the like? Either you should get yourself nominated for sainthood or get yourself some self awareness, cause I'm pretty sure everyone gets fed up and vents. Sometimes at the expense of someone.

[Katphood]

^if I ever saw some thugs trying to mug me I would simply hand over my wallet and inform the police afterwards. I am pretty sure I wouldn't try to confront them with a baseball bat though. Sainthood be damned, this is about safety...

[algroth]

 

 

 

 

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

 

His anger felt justified to me, maybe that's what made him sympathetic.

 

The issue isn't the justification or lack thereof, but the way in which he responds to those triggers. It's kind of what makes a villain a sympathetic villain: relatable motivations to justify questionable deeds.

 

So you never had enough bull**** to run your cup over? You never yelled at a telemarketer for bothering you after a hard day, or did something in the like? Either you should get yourself nominated for sainthood or get yourself some self awareness, cause I'm pretty sure everyone gets fed up and vents. Sometimes at the expense of someone.

 

If venting was the worst Michael Douglas did throughout the film, sure (kinda? It's not like if I did something in the past, I immediately consider it to be the right thing or justified). But it's not, far from it.

[Orogun01]

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

 

His anger felt justified to me, maybe that's what made him sympathetic.

 

The issue isn't the justification or lack thereof, but the way in which he responds to those triggers. It's kind of what makes a villain a sympathetic villain: relatable motivations to justify questionable deeds.

 

So you never had enough bull**** to run your cup over? You never yelled at a telemarketer for bothering you after a hard day, or did something in the like? Either you should get yourself nominated for sainthood or get yourself some self awareness, cause I'm pretty sure everyone gets fed up and vents. Sometimes at the expense of someone.

 

If venting was the worst Michael Douglas did throughout the film, sure (kinda? It's not like if I did something in the past, I immediately consider it to be the right thing or justified). But it's not, far from it.

 

Maybe is generational or cultural difference but I do like to favor individual's right over upholding the social contract, specially when you run into a situation where the scale is heavily tipped in favor of society.

[algroth]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few days ago I watched Falling Down again.

 

Never gets old, one of the best movies ever.

Love the movie, hate the ending. It always felt forced, as in he needs to be a bad guy because otherwise the film would be accused of promoting violence, even though for most of it he is a sympathetic character.

The ending isn't the thing making him a bad guy.

 

His anger felt justified to me, maybe that's what made him sympathetic.

 

The issue isn't the justification or lack thereof, but the way in which he responds to those triggers. It's kind of what makes a villain a sympathetic villain: relatable motivations to justify questionable deeds.

 

So you never had enough bull**** to run your cup over? You never yelled at a telemarketer for bothering you after a hard day, or did something in the like? Either you should get yourself nominated for sainthood or get yourself some self awareness, cause I'm pretty sure everyone gets fed up and vents. Sometimes at the expense of someone.

 

If venting was the worst Michael Douglas did throughout the film, sure (kinda? It's not like if I did something in the past, I immediately consider it to be the right thing or justified). But it's not, far from it.

 

Maybe is generational or cultural difference but I do like to favor individual's right over upholding the social contract, specially when you run into a situation where the scale is heavily tipped in favor of society.

 

That's fine and I do too, but it doesn't make every individual's personal struggle against the system invariably righteous in turn either. That an individual becomes "fed up" with society doesn't make their violent response - which in this case goes all the way to threatening people at gunpoint, harming them, and wantonly destroying other people's property - the right way to go about such a thing. If we talk about individual's rights, then by the particular ways Douglas' character rebels against the system he completely tramples over the rights of several individuals he meets from there on.

Edited December 23, 2018 by algroth

[algroth]

Also I'll add that it's been fifteen years at least since I last saw the film so I cannot argue about it down to the tiniest details as I cannot remember most of them either. But... This is a pretty damn good argument that goes to show too how even the protagonist's justifications may not be all that valid: https://www.laweekly.com/film/falling-down-25th-anniversary-michael-douglas-was-the-villain-8164453

Edited December 23, 2018 by algroth

[Orogun01]

Also I'll add that it's been fifteen years at least since I last saw the film so I cannot argue about it down to the tiniest details as I cannot remember most of them either. But... This is a pretty damn good argument that goes to show too how even the protagonist's justifications may not be all that valid: https://www.laweekly.com/film/falling-down-25th-anniversary-michael-douglas-was-the-villain-8164453

I sincerely hope that you don't drink the Kool Aid like the author of that article, riddled with eschewed social commentary that reveals his political leanings. She omits events from the film that don't support her narrative and frames the rest to fit with it. In short; Feminist writer doesn't like the film, what a surprise. Coincidentally, I guess she feels more compassionate to the LA rioters as she fails to condemn their actions. I guess that Falling Down is just White rage but Do the Right Thing is righteous black indignation, I think I can safely dismiss her opinion on the film.

 

The film serves as social commentary on a decaying society and the main characters as someone from a golden past who is mad at the status quo. At every turn it seems that the world turns against him and refuses to give him the simple thing that he wants. Change to call his family, a breakfast meal,etc etc.

Falling Down is actually the satirical take on society that GTA pretends to be, you have a man that keeps running into the worst aspects of society and reacts in an extreme manner.

The reason he has to be the bad guy is that the film can't be seen as advocating that people should go on rampages.

[algroth]

I cannot 100% vouch for her interpretation because, again, I'd really need to rewatch the film to do so. However she does support her claims with ample references to scenes and context, which you do not despite claiming she's omitting stuff, and given your interpretation above I am somewhat more trusting of her take instead. Also because the talk of a decaying society and a "golden age" of the past does sound very close to the idealized ambiguous past used to motivate the kind of fear and indignation she references in her article. Likewise I don't think she condoned the violence of the 1992 riots at any point either (the opening paragraph sounds as a condemnation more than anything, focusing on the damages opposite to any potential change or demonstration that may have arisen from them), referred to them more as context surrounding the film's production and release. I wouldn't assume to know her thoughts of Do the Right Thing considering she doesn't even reference the film in the article.

Edited December 23, 2018 by algroth