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MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

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Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

The Rolling Stone article was really good, and I think that mag MAYBE puts out 2-3 decent articles per year.

And Bob: you wouldn't finish one loop within the rules of the race as I know them (as the doc presented, anyway) and that's not a knock.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

The Barkley Marathons:

An annual race where almost no one finishes. It's 5 26-mile loops in the woods of TN. In less than 60 hours. The record at time of filming was 55 hours and change. :eek:

These people are NUTS. There are portions of the race where you have to run through briar patches, through a creek that runs under an active prison, etc. IF you are one of the 40 people accepted into the race (hundreds apply each year), you get a letter of condolences. Even if you are not a runner, just to see the torture that this race is....wow.

I watched that several months back, and yeah that race is nucking futs. When Brent says "woods", he means the foothills of the Great Smokies. It is very rare to have more than one finisher per year, and there have been multiple years in a row with no finisher.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

I watched that several months back, and yeah that race is nucking futs. When Brent says "woods", he means the foothills of the Great Smokies. It is very rare to have more than one finisher per year, and there have been multiple years in a row with no finisher.

The most memorable moment is to see the runners' legs and soles of their feet. Razor blades and pure blisters, respectively. It's something to see, for sure.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:

Speaking as someone who never read a Harry Potter Book and has seen like 45 minutes of 1 of the movies and found it rather blah...I really really liked this movie! Sure it is a bit predictable but the story is still very solid and all the actors really do a great job in their parts. It is a very charming movie that I was engaged in the whole time and it looks glorious in IMAX.

4.5 out 5 stars.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Free State Of Jones

Movie about some southerners who attempt to break free from the Confederacy, and live in a mixed-race society in Mississippi. I thought it was very well done, Matt McC is great, of course. Supporting cast is solid, and it was a good story that needed to be told (yes, I know there are books on it). Very much worth the watch.
 
The Barkley Marathons:

An annual race where almost no one finishes. It's 5 26-mile loops in the woods of TN. In less than 60 hours. The record at time of filming was 55 hours and change. :eek:

These people are NUTS. There are portions of the race where you have to run through briar patches, through a creek that runs under an active prison, etc. IF you are one of the 40 people accepted into the race (hundreds apply each year), you get a letter of condolences. Even if you are not a runner, just to see the torture that this race is....wow.

My first glance saw Berkley and I thought you were going to describe your attendance at an Elizabeth Berkley film marathon. My deepest apologies.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

My first glance saw Berkley and I thought you were going to describe your attendance at an Elizabeth Berkley film marathon. My deepest apologies.

I did see Showgirls in the theater. Hey, curiosity over the hype b/c of the rating. Horrible movie, but nice scenery. ;)
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Black Book:

In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.

Very interesting story, and at times very gut-wrenching at what people had to deal with in that era, whether just tolerating it in the name of resisting, or doing things they had no desire to do, for the same reasons. Good movie.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

We Are Legion:

Basically a documentary about the origins of Anonymous (the internet hacktivist group). Touches on 4chan, Cult Of The Dead Cow, etc and how Anonymous fits in with all that. I've seen docs on what Anon is doing recently, but never really delved into the details on how they formed. Informative, for sure. While biased for the pro-Anon camp, it doesn't shy away from the criticism that Anon has, internally or externally. It's a decent watch.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

If you have a chance, see Hacksaw Ridge this weekend. It is the true story of American hero Desmond T. Doss, brilliantly played by Andrew Garfield. Yes, it was directed by Mel Gibson, but the movie is perhaps the best of the year. It is also accurate, not like Braveheart or other "based on the true story" flicks. I looked up the movie portrayals vs the actual material documented in his Medal of Honor records and the documentary of his life. If anything, his bravery is underplayed because he was too humble to accept it. His commanding officer estimates that he brought over 100 soldiers down off Hacksaw Ridge but settled on 75 after Doss objected. The only "fabrication" is that the men in his unit at the beginning are primarily combined into a few for the sake of storytelling. Without getting political, with all the bitterness and acrimony ripping this country apart right now, an inspirational story of an authentic war hero is exactly what we need.

I made it a rare two-movie weekend at the theater today. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.
Saw it this past weekend. Big yes. No punches pulled on the war scenes, and the post film on screen recollections are something special.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Black Book:

In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.

Very interesting story, and at times very gut-wrenching at what people had to deal with in that era, whether just tolerating it in the name of resisting, or doing things they had no desire to do, for the same reasons. Good movie.

I wonder if we are about to see a lot of movies about resistance. Popular culture is a trailing indicator of current events. It took a few years for TV and movies to grapple with our descent into the murk of the surveillance state and the Forever War. Likewise, it will probably take 18 months or so before we see fairly obvious parallels between life under the Fraud Fuhrer and other times and places where good people have to hide in the weeds and either wait or strike.
 
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Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

The African Doctor:

A Congolese doctor, who got his degree in France, takes up practice in a small village in France with his family. Culture shock ensues. It's a good feel-good story, with all the happys and sads that go with said story. Based on a true story, etc. Worth a gander.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Sour Grapes:

Documentary on a wine savant that sold fake expensive wines to collectors. I don't know crap about wine, so all the names of these great wines went over my head. "Ah, yes, the Hoo Shoo Floo '61 is an excellent wine, I paid $3000 for a bottle." Um, ok? However, the general story is very intriguing besides that lack of knowledge. If you like a good scandal story, though, it's worth a watch.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Sour Grapes:

Documentary on a wine savant that sold fake expensive wines to collectors. I don't know crap about wine, so all the names of these great wines went over my head. "Ah, yes, the Hoo Shoo Floo '61 is an excellent wine, I paid $3000 for a bottle." Um, ok? However, the general story is very intriguing besides that lack of knowledge. If you like a good scandal story, though, it's worth a watch.

My reaction to people paying thousands for a bottle of Taylor Lake Country Red and not knowing the difference is "good." This isn't fake insulin.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Went and saw Moana with my family. My daughter liked it.

I liked it but, I had some interesting thoughts:

First off, this is not your bog standard Disney Princess faire. Yes there are plenty of traditional Disney elements, songs, humor, animation references etc. The story however is steeped heavily in Polynesian culture and history. Now I know enough gleamed from growing up around Polynesians and enough trips to the PCC on Oahu to keep up (barely) but the basic moviegoer is going to miss most of it. The story is great enough that might not matter too much though.

But, I noticed a lot of Samoan, Tongan, Hawaiian, Maori families in the theater tonight before the movie started and had a thought as I watched: here was their culture being presented, not in some offensive appropriation or cheesy touristy rip off, but as a Disney Animated Feature, songs and all. It was honestly a powerful thought.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

Everybody Wants Some:

Basically "Dazed And Confused" in a college setting (I had forgotten this was a Linklater movie; he directed D&C). Meandering, no real point to the movie, just kind of a slice of life type movie. Entertaining, but lacks the certain something that made D&C had. Worth a gander on a weekend afternoon, but that's about it.
 
Re: MOVIES: New Ideas Welcome!

13th:

Doc about the current prison system and how it relates to a certain phrasing in the 13th Amendment. Lots of history in this one, pretty much up to very current day. The slant is about what I expected, as too many times it did come across as "not minorities' fault" that they are in prison. That being said, the depth on which the research goes into how corporations, politicians, and private prisons work together to make a buck is impressive. It is a "should watch," IMO.


To Catch A Thief (1955):

Pardon the pun, but a nice little cat-and-mouse theme about a former burglar trying to catch another burglar who mimics the former's methods, since the former is getting the blame for a new rash of burglaries. I thought it was well done, despite the answer of who the real burglar is being figured out halfway through the movie. There are some nice red herrings, but one little piece of dialogue crossed off any doubts I may have had in my mind. I recommend it, for sure.

I Am Your Father:

Doc on David Prowse, who was the body in the Darth Vader suit for the first Star Wars movies, at least until Darth's Death Scene in Jedi (different actor). Overall, it's a bio-pic, it's just that the Star Wars chapter in his life is a huge chunk of it. Some interesting things that non-fanboys might not have known, about how he came to be Darth, how the movies were done, etc. Lucasfilm is not really portrayed in a favorable light, but they don't get slammed, either. It was a very proper "that's very unfair" criticism sort of thing. If you like the Star Wars movies, you might be interested in this.
 
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