Your Dark Secrets of Film

WillKill4Food said:

[all things Batman]

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This is a rare occasion, I know, but I agree with everything you said!

For me, Nolan captured the essence of Batman and his world when it was at its best (when the character, the villains and the enviroment were dark, and not '60s loopy). Bringing a hero and their nemesis down to earth, and putting much of their power into their will and wit makes for more compelling story-telling.

when i finally watched the exorcist, which i was really excited to see, i found it boring, tame, and pretty lame.

i would rather poke my own eyes out then ever have to watch the notebook again.

i love captain ron.

i could write pages of ranting about how and why i think the new battlestar galactica both bored me and consumed me with a firery rage about how stupid the show was. seriously, your almost wiped out, being hunted by cylons, and you have elections? so, so stupid.

i dislike gangser flicks, and will never watch them.

the movie crash was pretty stupid.

teampunk said:

when i finally watched the exorcist, which i was really excited to see, i found it boring, tame, and pretty lame.

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still haven't seen any version of the exorcist.

did your keyboard break, teampunk? i never noticed whether or not you always used lower case.

teampunk said:

i could write pages of ranting about how and why i think the new battlestar galactica both bored me and consumed me with a firery rage about how stupid the show was. seriously, your almost wiped out, being hunted by cylons, and you have elections? so, so stupid.

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I found the first two seasons strangely hypnotic. The following seasons are on my 'to obtain' list.

teampunk said:

i dislike gangser flicks, and will never watch them.

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I like gangster flicks set in the 'Godfather' period, and those modern ones brought to life by Tarantino. Not a fan of ghetto gangsters.

teampunk said:

the movie crash was pretty stupid.

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Which Crash?

Cronenberg's one based on J.G. Ballard's story was a great move. I'm a big fan of Ballard.

I've started watching Lost. While I really liked JJ's Alias, I'm finding Lost to be a bit pretentious, with promises that don't promise to deliver anything. And it's very slow. It's so padded out with slooooowly expounded flashbacks, and the sloooowly expounded present. Since I picked up the first two seasons for a few quid, I'm going to stick with it, but I am fast forwarding in places.

WillKill4Food said:

In fact, the Joker did not have an origin story until 1951 in Detective Comics #168. That story was the whole Red Hood deal involving chemicals. This origin story has been reinvented several ways, but the 1989 film's origin story did not really resemble the ones in any of the comics that I know of. Like I said before, the Joker of the comics was given many origins over the years, but when he first came onto the scene of the comics, he did not have one. He was a figure of mystery, and this is what Nolan was replicating. When it comes down to it, the 1989 film was less true to the comics.

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Thanks for the clarification - I actually should have done more research on the Joker character before posting.

Your other arguments re: TDK have actually inspired me to go back and do something I wouldn't normally have done, i.e. go back and re-watch the film. I've only seen it once so far (in the theatre back in 2008), and should give it a second chance.

Moving on, I wanted to add to another poster's comments re: the new Battlestar Galactica - I myself really enjoyed the series, and thought it was brilliant. Very dark and moody, with a lot of parallels to life in the 21st century. However, I completely understand why this show isn't for everyone - you either like it or hate it - It had a lot of dialogue and some action, and one person who disliked the show told me they felt it was too "soap-opera-ish".

Crash by Cronenberg was great. I like most Cronenberg films anyway, but, again, his movies definitely aren't meant for the mainstream movie going audience. I also really enjoyed his films Spider and Eastern Promises - I thought these last two films were excellent, though disturbing.

I also really enjoyed Lost, and felt it was one of the best TV shows of the past ten years. The flash-backs all serve the purpose of giving background on the characters that are on the island - but, I know some felt the show dragged because of this. I also know a lot of fans didn't like the ending (though I thought it was great).

Also wanted to add something that I always knew, but which has been reinforced by posting on this thread: In many cases, I will have the opposite reaction to a movie/TV show than most people, i.e. I'll like a movie/TV show that others will hate, and vice-versa. I also like foreign (i.e., non-American, but I guess foreign all depends on where you're from) films, independent films, old b&w films, etc.

Montana Smith said:

still haven't seen any version of the exorcist.

did your keyboard break, teampunk? i never noticed whether or not you always used lower case.



I found the first two seasons strangely hypnotic. The following seasons are on my 'to obtain' list.



I like gangster flicks set in the 'Godfather' period, and those modern ones brought to life by Tarantino. Not a fan of ghetto gangsters.



Which Crash?

Cronenberg's one based on J.G. Ballard's story was a great move. I'm a big fan of Ballard.

I've started watching Lost. While I really liked JJ's Alias, I'm finding Lost to be a bit pretentious, with promises that don't promise to deliver anything. And it's very slow. It's so padded out with slooooowly expounded flashbacks, and the sloooowly expounded present. Since I picked up the first two seasons for a few quid, I'm going to stick with it, but I am fast forwarding in places.

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i do always use lowercase. i'm not writing a report, just talking on the internet.

the paul haggis' crash that won the oscar for best picture a few years ago.

phantom train said:

Moving on, I wanted to add to another poster's comments re: the new Battlestar Galactica - I myself really enjoyed the series, and thought it was brilliant. Very dark and moody, with a lot of parallels to life in the 21st century. However, I completely understand why this show isn't for everyone - you either like it or hate it - It had a lot of dialogue and some action, and one person who disliked the show told me they felt it was too "soap-opera-ish".

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I found it compelling, and strangely hypnotic as I wrote earlier. I missed it when it was on TV, but rattled through the first two seasons in no time on DVD.

phantom train said:

I also really enjoyed Lost, and felt it was one of the best TV shows of the past ten years. The flash-backs all serve the purpose of giving background on the characters that are on the island - but, I know some felt the show dragged because of this. I also know a lot of fans didn't like the ending (though I thought it was great).

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Lost is a cult phenomenon that I avoided for a long time. I only began watching it by chance. The pilot was good, with the horror of the crash and the engine still running. After a few more episodes it looked as though they were desperately padding out the material (the original concept would have been even worse, before the island itself became a character). I don't think I would have stuck with it on TV.

Mine is I hate Jack Nicholson. I don't think he's manly, I don't think he's funny, I don't even think he's a particularly good actor.

NONoXLL said:

Mine is I hate Jack Nicholson. I don't think he's manly, I don't think he's funny, I don't even think he's a particularly good actor.

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he actually is a good actor, it's just that he's so typecast as jack nicholson that he doesn't get the chance to actually act very often. check out the movie "the promise", to see him give a great understated performance.

Never seen Gone With The Wind or Citizen Kane.

I thought Avatar was pretty bland and lame.

And even though I LOVE Rocky and The Godfather and often list them as my favorite films, I have NEVER seen any of the sequels to either franchise.

DocWhiskey said:

Never seen Gone With The Wind or Citizen Kane.

I thought Avatar was pretty bland and lame.

And even though I LOVE Rocky and The Godfather and often list them as my favorite films, I have NEVER seen any of the sequels to either franchise.

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Just watch Godfather 2... the others.... well...

DocWhiskey said:

Never seen Gone With The Wind or Citizen Kane.

I thought Avatar was pretty bland and lame.

And even though I LOVE Rocky and The Godfather and often list them as my favorite films, I have NEVER seen any of the sequels to either franchise.

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Gone with the Wind is necessary...but not all that compelling, save for bits and pieces. Kane largely deserves its reputation, though.

DocWhiskey said:

And even though I LOVE Rocky and The Godfather and often list them as my favorite films, I have NEVER seen any of the sequels to either franchise.

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You've never seen the Rocky sequels?! I love them all, but part two is the best of them. For the 80s cheese-factor watch Rocky IV.

Never seen Gone With The Wind, either. It's been on my to-do list for years, and I see it as a chore that I've put off indefinitely. Also, I can't stand Kevin Costner. His range is pretty nonexistent, like watching a mannequin. Denzel used to really irritate me, too, but his more recent work like Bone Collector, Man on Fire, and especially Book of Eli have turned me around a bit. My guiltiest pleasure on film is Psycho Beach Party, which I've seen dozens of times.

Great idea for a thread. I love reading people's responses. Here are my cinema "dark secrets"

The original "Beastmaster" movie is one of my favorite films.

I am not a fan of Quentin Tarntino movies

As a child, "Willow" was my favorite movie and still is in my top ten list

I have never seen "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca"

Battlestar Galactica(new series) is my favorite TV show ever!

I was so disappointed with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that I wanted to cry.

Tom Cruise is one of my favorite actors, I could care less about his off screen antics.

For some reason I am not a fan of Ed Norton.

I have never seen Boondock Saints.

Well there you have it, my random cinema thoughts..hahaha

Attila the Professor said:

Gone with the Wind is necessary...but not all that compelling, save for bits and pieces. Kane largely deserves its reputation, though.

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Yes both "Kane" and "Wind" are great films ... I'm sorry I didn't specify...
I meant of the sequels he had not seen Godfather 2 is the only one really worth watching.

Dr. Gonzo said:

Yes both "Kane" and "Wind" are great films ... I'm sorry I didn't specify...
I meant of the sequels he had not seen Godfather 2 is the only one really worth watching.

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Oh, I didn't assume that you were denigrating those films. Honestly, I'm guilty of denigrating Gone with the Wind on a semi-regular basis anyhow.

Certainly you're right about Godfather 3 not being all that worthwhile, though. Again, there's some worthwhile elements, but there's too much that's not good that takes away from it.