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Movies 52 - 1917: Sonic the Bad Boys of Prey

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I watched the first two hour episode of Spike Lee's eight hour documentary, NYC: Epicenters on HBO last night.

The primary intent of the series, I believe, is to document NYC since 9/11, as we approach the 20th anniversary. Last night's episode was almost entirely on the pandemic and what occurred in NYC from late fall 2019 until now. The episode was really very good, but doesn't touch at all, really, on 9/11.

I've read that episode two, next Sunday, goes a bit off track. The trailer suggests most of it is about what occurred during and immediately after the election, which seems less to do with NYC and more about the country as a whole. But it sounds like episodes three and four, focused primarily on 9/11 and the aftermath, hit their mark.

Based upon last night's episode it is definitely worth a watch.
 
MissThundercat said:
I want to watch an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that isn't awful.
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It's a story about a 13-year old girl and her ambiguously-aged but somewhat older male lover where she fakes her own death, thereby causing him to commit suicide and then her to kill herself for real.

Strip the Shakespeare out of it, and it's a shitty story.
 
unofan said:
It's a story about a 13-year old girl and her ambiguously-aged but somewhat older male lover where she fakes her own death, thereby causing him to commit suicide and then her to kill herself for real.

Strip the Shakespeare out of it, and it's a ****ty story.
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One thing about great art. It will be here long after our silly hemlines have passed on.

The Iliad is about how a king angry his wife has run off with another man causes a ten-year long war and untold suffering and eventually the genocide of an entire city. And I don't even want to start on Tristan and Isolde. Or the Bible -- yikes!

You don't measure art by the puny yardstick of morals.

Our imagination is more important than which side of the bread we decide to butter in a given age. The characters aren't real. They are symbolic and transcendant.
 
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MissThundercat said:
I want to watch an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that isn't awful.
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The best straight R&J I know is the BBC's 1978 version with Patrick Ryecart and Rebecca Saire. It is very spare -- it concentrates on Juliet's inner monologue and her suffering. Tybalt is, and I swear I'm not making this up, a 31-year old Alan Rickman. Gielgud plays the Chorus and appears extremely annoyed at all the characters.

Nurse, as always, steals the show. That's Celia Johnson, who performed the finest portrayal of adult heartache I've seen. Those eyes boring into the future without hope but also with no fear; acceptance, not grim, but sensitive and wide open. A moment when one is fully alive and all the automation that wastes most of our life is suspended. It's precious and anyone who has felt it -- I assume we all have, at least once -- cannot help but be moved, and hurt with her.

Anyway, this is the only version in which I have had the slightest sympathy for the young lovers, who typically strike me as moody teen morons who get what they deserve.
 
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Kepler said:
One thing about great art. It will be here long after our silly hemlines have passed on.

The Iliad is about how a king angry his wife has run off with another man causes a ten-year long war and untold suffering and eventually the genocide of an entire city. And I don't even want to start on Tristan and Isolde. Or the Bible -- yikes!

You don't measure art by the puny yardstick of morals.

Our imagination is more important than which side of the bread we decide to butter in a given age. The characters aren't real. They are symbolic and transcendant.
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I was being intentionally pithy, but Romeo and Juliet is only good because of Shakespeare's ability to make it good. The reason 99% of adaptations are shit is because without Shakespeare's skill and artistry, it's going to be shit.

It's like asking why there isn't a good adaptation of the Mona Lisa. And the answer is because without da Vinci's hands, you get this:

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Went and saw SHANG-CHI last night.

I really liked this film and feel it's a very solid A-. They did some unique things compared to some of the other MCU origin stories and that is what this film's foundation is built on. I was able to connect with these characters in 2 hours in the same manner it took other MCU characters 2-3 movies. There is also a depth to the villain that has been notably lacking in many MCU movies.

The action in this film is also spectacular. I loved the influence of Asian Cinema/Martial Arts. I'll go so far as to say that the "Bus Fight" is one of the top fight sequences in the MCU. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's like the scene achieved what shaky cam tries to do without making 352 cuts in 100 seconds. The choreography is spectacular and Simu Liu executes here.

I've also found that Akwafina is growing on me as an actress. She's not gonna win an Oscar, but I liked her role as the comic relief here. She did hold her own when it came time to be "serious" however. I give props to Destin Daniel Cretton for guiding her and making the character work.

Also a shout out to **Returning MCU Character** who shows up in the 2nd and 3rd acts. I'm sure the return is out there, but I had no idea they were showing up and loved the reveal. It was organic and didn't seem to be shoehorned in. They make use of every line they are given and by the end, again I had formed new connections with this character.

Go see it if you like the MCU popcorn flicks. This is one of the better ones. It doesn't break the MCU mold, but shows that a filmmaker can still be unique working in that framework.
 
Usually I would be seeing those opening night or soon after but since my friend can't go to theaters cause he is in the middle of his cancer treatments I am not sure at this moment how or when I will see Shang Chi.
 
ScoobyDoo said:
Usually I would be seeing those opening night or soon after but since my friend can't go to theaters cause he is in the middle of his cancer treatments I am not sure at this moment how or when I will see Shang Chi.
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I believe it's a 45 day Theatrical Window. Then it's off to digital. Not sure if that means standard PVOD rentals/purchase or if this will go through Disney+. But is should be available to watch in some form at home by mid-October.
 
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