What was the last movie you've seen?

[samsonlonghair]

Why are you hating Opa? Jurassic World is the perfect summer blockbuster popcorn flick. If you went in expecting brilliant cerebral film making, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.

Do you refuse to succumb to roller coasters? Do you refuse to succumb to pie? Do you refuse to succumb to bikinis?

Jurassic World is tons of dumb fun. Just succumb already and enjoy yourself.

[jp1]

There's a difference between the suspension of disbelief for the sake of the film's plot and then there's a complete and total disconnect from your neural pathways. Jurassic World requires the latter and I cannot succumb to that.

I'll take the talkies, thank you very much.

Fair is fair.


All I'm saying is that when you see a trailer for a movie that involves cloning dinosaurs in a theme park, and a dude riding a motorcycle along velociraptors...you can't expect any suspension of disbelief.

And I know where you are coming from as there are hundreds of movies I don't like because they try to take themselves seriously, when they are plain silly. But like KUNG FURY and KUNG-FU HUSTLE, J WORLD is a "sit back and have fun with it" movie. Most movies don't deliver on that (looking at you Terminator Genysis).


FRUITVALE STATION

A film that knows both where it's heart is as well as it's brain.

A few years ago a cop "mistook" his pistol for a taser (uh-huh) and killed a young black Father on a New Year's night. The film begins with actual footage of the incident, immediately gripping your emotions.

Of course the cop is white and a mega-asshole, but some cops are indeed white and mega-assholes. The story of the film comes from eye-witnesses of the incident, so the cop character may not have been exaggerated solely for the fact to incite anger.

The man who was murdered (it was murder) is shown in a bit of a likeable light to some...I thought he was an asshole too. He had spent time in prison, disobeyed authority over and over, sold drugs, and smoked weed around children.

There's also a grueling scene where he calls his Grandma to help teach a pretty white woman how to fry catfish, because apparently white people have no clue about Southern cooking (or frying for that matter).

These things aside, FRUITVALE STATION is easily a 3 out of 4 stars movie. The direction is exceptional, the characters are believable albeit cliche, and the story of the happenings in the film are culturally significant. It also gets people talking, which is always a good thing. I saw it with four people and we all had a different take on it.

It's streaming on Netflix, and I suggest you watch it if you're looking for a movie you may have not heard of.

Wait. There are cops who are not mega-assholes? Talk about suspension of disbelief.

I'm kidding of course, sort of. Here where we have "the good ole boys" they mostly go into the field so they can abuse their authority and treat people like crap. Not all of them, but so many that I've encountered. Just a small example is that when I was younger and had a car that may be stereotyped as "black", I got pulled over more than ever before in my life. I got comments about listening to "N****r music" and how my stereo must be stolen. I was called a "race trader", shit you not, by a deputy. There are some real pricks on the force in my neck of the woods.

[Luke]

Sorry to stray off topic, but I don't doubt you jp1 for a second. Blame it on the officer, and blame it on the person who trained him. "You do exactly as I tell you" isn't progressive thinking in cases where someone just looks suspicious. Cops need to say why they are giving you an order, no just order you to obey.

Quick story: When I was working at the bike/skate park here (it's in a video game!) I was pulled over for "obnoxious noise". At the time I had a Pathfinder with a "boomin' system" so I understood. I pulled over, took the keys out of the ignition, and placed both hands on the wheel, as a buddy of mine who is a cop said that's the best way to show compliance.

After he explained why he pulled me over he asked, "So what happened to your left hand?". I responded with something close to "I don't think that's any of your business and why that is even relevant" in a very snarky tone.

The cop then lifted his left hand, which also had no fingers.

D'oh!

So we swapped stories and he told me all about having a physical disability and working in law enforcement. He talked about being perceived weak, undermined by other officers, and it bordered on being a therapy session for the cop. But I dodged a ticket, so now I know what a hot blonde with huge knockers feels like after getting pulled over.

[jp1]

Sorry to stray off topic, but I don't doubt you jp1 for a second. Blame it on the officer, and blame it on the person who trained him. "You do exactly as I tell you" isn't progressive thinking in cases where someone just looks suspicious. Cops need to say why they are giving you an order, no just order you to obey.

Oh, I do. I have simply had a few too many of these coincidental run ins to have anything but resentment for my local PD. I have met one or two of them who are actually good guys and do the job for the right reasons, but they seem to be the exception. Only speaking about my local PD to be clear. I have lived other places and not experienced these things, I don't know if I believe that means they aren't happening, but I certainly couldn't confirm they are. Fruitvale Station is a good representation of the way cops in this part of FL like to behave. On top of that, I am always compliant and respectful even while being insulted and profiled.

You would think I was a hardened criminal based on my feelings, but I've never received anything worse than a fine or two. On the flipside I have tremendous respect for other public service workers. Firefighters, EMS, etc.. Hard to fault those guys for the crap they go through and the work they do.

Back to movies, I watched The Poker House again last night. It's an effective drama, although it isn't a great movie. The fact that it is a depiction of Lori Petty's childhood and she both wrote and directed the movie gives it a little extra gut punch.

Violet & Daisy - I liked this, nothing especially profound about it, but it was unique. Saoirse Ronan was great as usual.

Cheap Thrills - I can't believe that was Ethan Embry, amazing transformation from him. The movie is entertaining even though it feels like it pulls a little from Funny Games. It still has a somewhat original story and it isn't a bad popcorn movie if you aren't easily disgusted.

[Opa Opa]

Why are you hating Opa? Jurassic World is the perfect summer blockbuster popcorn flick. If you went in expecting brilliant cerebral film making, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.

I went in with virtually no expectations to be honest (other than I knew I'd see dinosaurs). I didn't even see the trailer Luke was talking about. And I certainly didn't expect to see the next Lawrence of Arabia by any stretch of the imagination.

Do you refuse to succumb to roller coasters? Do you refuse to succumb to pie?

I'm not much of a roller coaster person. Cake > Pie

Do you refuse to succumb to bikinis?

Um... yes! I'll leave those to the ladies.

Jurassic World is tons of dumb fun. Just succumb already and enjoy yourself.

I don't disagree; there were a lot of great action sequences. I just wish the glaring plot holes would have been fixed is all and it would have been a great return for the series.

[REPO Man]

The brilliant Director's Cut of:



It's on NetFlix and I'm definitely getting the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack when I have the money to spare.

[Sano]

The DUFF

Moderately amusing.

[Fragems]

Saw Max the other day with my Mom. No spectacular performances, but it was entertaining and a decent family flick. Only thing I found odd was there seemed to be a light peppering of racism towards Mexicans which led to quite a few awkward moments .

They did get a few tears out of me during the funeral scene though .

[DeadPark]

i saw the new trailer for the Mad Max movie coming out, and since I've never seen any of the mad max movies, i thought it'd give them a shot. i was very disappointed with the first movie.

maybe it was partially my fault. i was expecting it to be something it wasn't. i was expecting post apocalyptic wasteland gang wars like the sequels. but the first one is a single biker gang making trouble in an otherwise very nice community.

what wasn't my fault was the movies severe lack of context for anything that was going on. not only could i barely follow what was happening, i didn't care. i was bored and uninterested in most of the movie because i simply didn't know what was going on or WHY i should care.

it's a shame. i really wanted to like it too. I'm still gonna give the sequels a try though, because they're, i believe, more what i thought the whole series was supposed to be like.

[Ack]

Yeah, the Mad Max series goes through a big shift between the first and the second film. The second movie basically redefined how we view the post-apocalypse through a new punk-chic lens. It has inspiration from movies like A Boy and His Dog, but it built on that and in turn inspired a huge line of rip-offs, parodies, and homages on its own in film and television.

The first movie isn't nearly there yet with its apocalypse, it's more at the start of the world collapsing. The truth is, a lot of folks watch it and think it's a pretty normal day in Australia. But it's still a necessary starting point for the hero of the series.