Triangle - 2009 film. What a trip this movie was. Someone told me it was good so I checked it out. It did not disappoint. Wasn’t sure what was happening initially, which I’m sure was the goal, but it did circle back around and tie together all the threads. Wasn’t perfect, but was quite enjoyable. No answers offered here as to the “why” of what’s happening, but the journey through the “what” was fun. Recommended.

The Offer - 10-episode ltd series about the making of The Godfather, based on Al Ruddy’s experiences. Only nitpick i have is you really need to just power through the first episode and don’t ask too many questions - that first episode appears to cover like 3 years or so of time. It’s so distracting. You’re like, wait, how long has passed since last scene? The show gives you no indicators of time at all throughout. They give you hints, like what films are being talked about, etc., but no title cards or subtitles with a day, month, year, anything. I think it’s by design, as I’m sure there were a few times they consolidated events or had them in the show out of order from real life for narrative purposes. The rest of the episodes seem to cover a year, year and a half. Once you get past that first episode, it’s really fantastic. The actors are great, the acting is great, the story is absolutely crazy and nigh-unbelievable. I know at least some of it has been Hollywood lore for decades now, but seeing it played out is something else. I really can’t believe this movie ever got made. So many forces outside and inside tried at every turn to tank it. Just crazy. I mean, wow. Really nutso stuff.

The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2 - after watching the offer, we decided it was time for a reviewing of the films. in most of my life, and in my memory, i've favored part 2 over part 1. i just love deniro as young vito and that part of the saga. but on this viewing, i saw more holes in part 2 than i liked, and really leaned to part 1 as the better film. i waffle back and forth on them, but even with the nit picking, both are 5-star films for me. my wife commented that it really should be part 1 because without part 1, there is no part 2 - part 2 doesn't make much sense stand-alone, it requires part 1 to exist. while i agree and that's true, that really just speaks to the fact that it's the perfect sequel in that it is just "act 2" of the same story, expanding on what came before, ignoring the idea that it has to also stand alone. both are really staggering films, from how they came into existence to their longevity. during this conversation, we also learned that there is yet another docudrama coming called Francis & The Godfather about the making of the film, clearly told from francis' POV, starring oscar isaac as francis, jake gyllenhal as evans, elle fanning as ali, and elisabeth moss as elanor coppola. wild.

The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone - it had been decades since I watched part 3, and i'd never seen the "coda" recut, which francis says more aligns to the vision he and mario had for part 3, so we watched this conclusion of the saga. i can't speak to the differences between this and the theatrical cut, as i have very little memory other than hating it. this version really isn't a terrible film, it is just a completely different thing, a completely different approach to the story than the first two. jumping so far ahead in time, with very few of the characters people had come to love, i don't know what else could be expected. i get that what's happening in the film echoes what's happening on stage at the opera, but really it just reminded me of Foul Play more than anything else. it's...fine? probably should have been left alone, but i'm sure so much money had been thrown at them that they had to do it. i guess the coda version is superior, but again, given the story they committed to, i don't think any amount of recutting was going to change opinions much. biggest standout to me was that al pacino looks like a completely different human. lost was his voice, his movements, his delivery, everything is just completely different. shrug. i know i'm not breaking new ground here.

Dark Winds - AMC show, only six episodes, basically a cop show except on a reservation. started out very interesting, but quickly completely abandoned any spiritual elements and became a pretty standard cop mystery. if you think about the things they set up early on, there are so many threads left hanging that just never get addressed again. kind of disappointing in that sense, but it was enjoyable, up until the end, which was pretty much as expected.

I've always felt like Godfather 3 is a good film, the problem is when you compare it to the two before it it really falls down and doesn't even come close. And I think people give Sofia more shit than her performance deserves just because she's the director's daughter. I do think the Coda cut is better. The pacing is better, and it makes a bit more narrative sense. I've never hated Godfather 3, but whenever I think about watching it again I'm like, oh, but I could watch one of the first two instead that are masterpieces. Godfather 3 is the Fredo of the series. It tries it's best, but it just can't compete with the rest of the family.

darkness wrote: 20/07/22, 19:34:50 I've always felt like Godfather 3 is a good film, the problem is when you compare it to the two before it it really falls down and doesn't even come close. And I think people give Sofia more shit than her performance deserves just because she's the director's daughter. I do think the Coda cut is better. The pacing is better, and it makes a bit more narrative sense. I've never hated Godfather 3, but whenever I think about watching it again I'm like, oh, but I could watch one of the first two instead that are masterpieces. Godfather 3 is the Fredo of the series. It tries it's best, but it just can't compete with the rest of the family.

Yeah, Sofia was fine. What’s really odd is how completely OK everyone seems to be with her and her cousin being together. Her father’s chief complaint is that “it’s dangerous”, which he repeats several times with no explanation. I suppose he was talking about what happened at the end, but that had little to do with Vincent.

Maybe it's a sicilian thing and they're cool with it. I honestly never really gave it any thought until you just now pointed it out.

National Treasure and National Treasure: Book Of Secrets - had been a while since i'd seen these, and my wife didn't remember seeing them, so threw them on as part of our nic cage appreciation effort. first one was Indy-style adventure coupled with Dan Brown-level secret society/puzzle stuff. I still contend this is a decent film. second one was worse than i remembered. other than maybe one scene, completely mailed-in performance from ed harris, criminally under-used. the whole film relies on you buying into video game level logic. it's a ridiculous film, and too bad as i think the idea was this would be a franchise. i know there is apparently a third one coming out in 2024, no word on cast. i could see cage doing it, but don't know why diane krueger would. anyway, first one's good, second one is amusing but not because they intended it to be.

TC wrote: 25/07/22, 08:20:06 our nic cage appreciation effort

I have recommendations if you start weeding through his video-on-demand era.

i feel like there are only a handful i haven't seen, but toss 'em out!

Assuming you've seen the obvious ones (Mandy, Pig, Color Out of Space), check out Between Worlds, The Trust, and The Frozen Ground.

A Score to Settle, Grand Isle, and Looking Glass had their moments, too.

Full thoughts

Pretty tough on some of those. Favorited the list, will revisit. I haven’t seen the three you called out.

Strange Angel - i've been told i needed to watch this many times over the last couple years, but never wanted to deal with paramount+. i ended up with a year long "free" subscription (read: with fucking ads) so i decided to watch it. it's 17 total episodes over two seasons, and there was a clear plan for s3 but it didn't get picked up for some reason. the show is wild. they really go for it when it comes to the sex magick orgies. backing up, it's the story of jack parsons and the creation of JPL and his deep dive into Thelema. crowly does play a large part in s2, but hubbard only shows up in the last episode tag, which is what i mean by they clearly had a plan for s3. it's a bummer, as that would have been a great way to end it - tell the story of hubbard running off with his wife, then he blows himself up, the end. oh well i guess. anyway, the show is interesting if slow in parts, then it goes pedal to the metal in other parts. it's a good watch for people that know nothing about the story (other than that one duncan trussell drunk history episode, which is also great). good enough to make me buy the book it's based on to see what was left out, and i know the story. probably the most accurate depiction of Thelema i've ever seen on screen, even though it's sensationalized and accelerated.

Resident Evil - netflix series. not sure if this was one and done or if it's going to get another season. i never played the games so have no attachment to the property other than mila jovovich. given that, i actually enjoyed this show. i didn't anticipate liking it, but it had some great secondary characters and great kills. was fantastic seeing lance reddick get to stretch his legs some too. he for sure stole the show. i'd recommend taking a look. if you get through the first couple, hang in there, it picks up.

Given the rate Netflix is cancelling things these days, I'd suspect it'll be one and done. Unless your name is Stranger Things or Cobra Kai, you're lucky to get more than a season these days. Cheaper to just throw more true crime documentaries on the platform.

TC wrote: 07/08/21, 07:40:46 Physical - Apple TV+ show featuring Rose Byrne in the main role. It’s a half-hour…dramadey?…about a woman with an eating disorder who discovers aerobics and starts making tapes in the early ‘80s (or late 70s, not super clear) and her husband (Rory Scovel) who is running for local office. I’ve been watching it but wanted to wait until the end of the first season to see if it stuck the landing. Finale was last night and yes it definitely did. A really, really good show. I mean fucking good. Recommend watching this show. In addition to Rose, who is great, it also has Paul Sparks, who played Mickey Doyle in Boardwalk Empire in it, and he rules.

most recent season ended last week. it was a bit uneven but still an enjoyable show. it's been diminishing returns for me this season, but still watching.

Licorice Pizza - finally watched this. Not sure what i expected but after all the hype and positive comments i’ve seen for this, i expected more. It was fine? I enjoyed it ok. Lots of plot holes, or at least components of the plot that aren’t explained very well. Still don’t know where the title comes from. But i guess none of that really matters, it’s a love story in the end. It’s nothing ground-breaking or terrific, but there are highlight moments (like Bradley Cooper’s entire role). I mean, it is hard to make a pro-pedophilia film. Last one i remember seeing was Big. Well, i guess technically, this is a pro-ephebophilia film. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just surprised there wasn’t some massive outrage about it in today’s social climate. Like, really surprised. I didn’t know that was the story going into this, that’s how little i saw it mentioned. Reverse the genders and I’m sure people would be burning down theaters. Shrug. Anyway, it was fine. That’s the best i can muster for it.

Black Bird - pretty incredible story in this docudrama. well-cast, well-acted, well-written, and doesn't overstay its welcome at only six episodes. my only gripe is some lack of context clues for timeline, etc., but it's minimal and really doesn't affect the overall story. highly recommended that you check this out.

Synecdoche New York - extremely bizarre movie. i had heard it was good (i think ed norton mentioned it on JRE) so checked it out. a charlie kaufman film, so i should have expected the absolute non-linear style here. centered by a powerhouse performance from philip seymour hoffman, it seems to be the story of how a man deals with grief and loss, although not entirely clear. don't bother questioning "is this really happening in the movie's reality" as this is a moot question, and unanswerable. it was very interesting and somehow engaging. don't know that i'd watch it a bunch but i did enjoy it. the title is never explained so i had to look up what appeared to be a misspelling of the NY city. it isn't. the definition of a synecdoche is something extremely common, i just never knew what it was called. learn something new every day.

Light And Magic - FANTASTIC six-part docuseries about the formation and evolution of ILM. tons of behind the scenes footage, current interviews with founders, etc. really unbelievable how this group of geniuses completely changed movie making forever by just solving problems and building the plane while it was flying. loved it.