Posts by casualotter21

I've already shared my thoughts on my blog. 😬

mistyfox812 said:"All under the sky" really is something else entirely.

Well, thank you. You're far too kind.

Blackadder said:Has anyone actually seen The Red Violin? I've heard it’s supposedly excellent, and based on what I know about the plot, it seems like something worth watching.

Wait, is that the one where the guy is playing the violin while simultaneously having anal sex with a woman?

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I certainly haven't watched it, obviously.

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it was my friend Mirko Mirkich.

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He hasn't seen it either.

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I just saw that scene on a VHS box at the local video rental store.

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Just forget I ever made this post.

Elizabeth Harris6 said:WTF? How much does a ticket cost to get to your little bubble where "us in the West" holds zero appeal within nationalist ideology?

Fair point, I suppose. I momentarily forgot that the people I cite as references are actually just geeks rather than the general public.

Sophia Brown78 said:This film is absolutely stunning, truly one of the most beautiful pieces of cinema I have ever seen. For half the runtime, it feels less like a movie and more like a series of breathtaking moving photographs.

Maybe I've already sent this, but here it is again. For whoever cares, here you go. Some stills from the movie..

Keep in mind that there are quite a few of them, so it might take a moment for the page to load.

Honestly, if a movie like this were produced in the West—focusing on people sacrificing themselves for a higher cause or lovers dying together—everyone would just dismiss it as a cheesy melodrama. It’s hard to imagine Americans taking that kind of stuff seriously anymore. But since it’s from China, it actually works. From what we understand about their culture, the collective holds more weight than the individual. Meanwhile, here in the States, it feels like we've completely lost touch with those "romantic" ideals, like sacrificing everything for the greater good or dying for love.

As far as I know, something like Lord of the Rings does a perfectly fine job of exploring those epic ideals of justice and truth, so I haven't heard anyone complaining that those parts felt naive. I’ve certainly run into critics claiming the scenes are boring, too long, or unfaithful to the books, but I haven't encountered that specific complaint.

Setting aside how great an example Lord of the Rings is, I really think it all comes down to the director's skill in portraying such weighty ideals. It is far easier to churn out a cynical film that mocks everything than it is to craft a serious work that presents certain values with genuine dignity. When you actually do the job right, you get a masterpiece like Hero. When you fail, you end up with something like Troy.

It's true that we in the West have lost any sense of romanticism regarding the idea of sacrificing oneself for one's nation. World War I and fascism stripped away any allure from nationalist ideology, just as Stalin and his crew destroyed the appeal of the communist utopia. We've learned the hard way that people who parade around with grand ideals are usually nothing more than massive hypocrites and scumbags. 😢 And now, I find myself descending into a full-blown rant...

It is interesting how one can draw a parallel between an emperor and someone like Saddam Hussein. Both managed to unite tribes that otherwise would never have been brought together, doing so through nothing but a firm, tyrannical grip. I wonder if Americans have noticed this.

Perhaps that parallel isn't just reserved for Hussein, but applies to heaps of statesmen throughout history. Time and again, we see examples of commanders who used sheer force to unify nations, essentially bullying them into accepting their specific worldview. It’s nothing new under the sky.

Richard Hernandez13 said:😁
It’s a good thing you included that disclaimer; after reading your first sentence, I was honestly worried we were about to dive into your "extended" interpretation of the movie's plot. 😁

It’s arguably the most beautiful film, but I am certainly not. Everything I just mentioned actually makes its way into the movie. The plot is bizarre, and the English subtitles are an absolute disaster. They actually use terms like "Japanese Gypsies." 😬

Word on the street is that Weinstein agreed to distribute the uncut version on the condition that they put "Quentin Tarantino presents:" on the poster (since QT is such a massive fan of the film and the genre).

Yeah, I caught a glimpse of Quentin Tarantino at the Hero premiere on the Red Carpet . Any idea what he actually thinks of it? I can easily picture him just getting lost in the movie. Just a fellow freak from the local video store. 😬

Richard Hernandez13 said:Allow me to put that another way...
It actually caught me off guard that there wasn't any heavy flirting in the movie—just constant sword fighting. It made me wonder if they were trying to make a slight departure from the usual wuxia tropes.

From what I gather—and I don't claim to know much—the whole point of wuxia is that characters can fight and fly. How they choose to handle those fights is entirely up to the directors. Though, from what I've seen in those gravity-defying flicks, swords tend to show up pretty often in the fray. That is, assuming they aren't busy throwing poison vials, using blowguns, unleashing snakes, or utilizing rusty dungeon hooks, ripping half-ton boulders out of the ground with one man in each hand, or even just a needle and thread. I honestly fear what the Chinese might do once CGI effects become even more pervasive in these films. 😬

It’s an interesting point; while I can certainly see how some might interpret certain ideas as being, well... slightly fascist. 😁

Well, if we’re going to split hairs—though I wouldn't go so far as calling it fascist—the film definitely leans into some pretty undemocratic ideals. It prioritizes the cast over everything else, operating on this premise where the individual is expected to sacrifice themselves for the collective, even though that collective offers nothing in return besides empty talk about "order and peace." How incredibly convenient. You see it clearly in the character dynamics: on one hand, you have these superhuman individuals capable of wiping out entire armies single-handedly, and on the other, you just have faceless masses of insignificant, pathetic people. Not that anyone should get the wrong idea, mind you; they’ve made sure that even these powerful figures aren't exempt from dying if it serves the Higher Powers and Honor.

Anyway, it’s interesting to note that quite a few wuxia films I've watched end on a tragic note. That works fine in movies like Tiger and Dragon, Mouse, or Hero, where they constantly dwell on love and a noble death, weaving that message seamlessly into the plot. But in some of the lower-quality films I've sat through, the unhappy ending feels just as forced and clumsy as the happy endings you see in certain Western films. Believe me, it's a sight to behold: an unbelievable tragedy where you can tell the screenwriter just screwed the characters solely so they could claim, "See, sacrifice is always good," even if they had to swallow total nonsense to get there. One prime example:

In "Swordsman 2," Jet Li finds himself caught in a mess where he has to back rebels fighting an evil mandarin. This guy is basically losing his edge by obsessively studying that "haircut pose essence," becoming more feminine by the day, all while trying to seize power using a massive Dutch cannon and a crew of Japanese Gypsies in China.

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Work with me here, everyone. I’m just recounting the plot based on how I read it from the subtitles in the movie.

Basically, through a series of random events, Jet Li and some woman fight off a villainous transvestite to rescue an old geezer who had been betrayed and stripped of his "haircut pose essence." This old guy, dressed in rags with a massive beard, has spent the last year hanging by chains hooked directly into his hips. Once Jet Li finally frees him, the old man spends the rest of the movie doing nothing but obsessively playing with those same chains and hip hooks. Talk about morbid obsessions. Strike one.

gentlejackal16 keeps going: while they’re trying to patch up his wounds, his students have to collect their own blood just to feed him because the guy refuses to lose a single drop of his own. And then you have his blood leaking out of the side of his mouth like drool. Okay, strike two.

Then, bathed in this bloody, crimson light, they film "Evil Captain Krick" from a low angle just to make him look even more grotesque. The old geezer starts ranting about how he’s going to get his revenge—HE’S GOING TO GET REVENGE, I TELL YOU, HAHAHAHA!111. You're outta here!

Naturally, once the villainous transvestite is finally taken out, the old guy unleashes a terror just as intense as the villain himself—if not worse—by slaughtering everyone who stood by them, including fifteen-year-olds. And what does Jet Li do? He and some woman just walk away because it isn't their fight. The message: "Life is a bitch, and then you die because heroes are too much of a coward to face a tyrant."

Inache, what "two, two and a half hours" are you talking about? 😕
The movie is only 98 minutes long.

Ah! *That's* why it felt so short! 😁

I caught this at the theater this Wednesday. Having seen it for the third time now, those two and a half hours absolutely flew by. I have no desire to get dragged into any heavy artistic debates; I’ll just say that, visually speaking, this is easily the most beautiful film I've ever had the pleasure of watching. It might be a case of style over substance, but even so, it serves as a perfect blueprint for how movies in this genre ought to look. Unfortunately, Hollywood could stand to learn quite a lot from the Chinese region. 🙂

Elizabeth Garcia2 said:Absolutely brilliant.👍
It’s easily the finest animated feature I've ever had the pleasure of watching, and it holds a permanent, prestigious spot in my home cinema collection.
Even though Tim Burton didn't direct it—so technically you can't credit him—his stylistic fingerprint is all over it, and I personally consider it entirely a part of his body of work.
Only crazy Tim could possess such an incredible imagination!

Who are you, and what have you done with Elizabeth Garcia2? 😲

I actually enjoyed it. It’s a bit naive and didn't quite hit the comedic heights of L. A. Story, which I caught on TV the other night (has anyone else seen it?), but it was still a solid watch. I could probably go on at length about both films, but I really can't be bothered. 😬

Jose Chase2 said:Well, nobody replied, but it doesn't matter. The movie is on ABC tonight, and you absolutely have to watch it!

Don't worry about it; I can at least speak for myself and Me when I say we're definitely going to tune in. I'll probably pester at least two more people about it too. 🙂>

The Coyote. Despite having access to every scientific discovery both existing and yet to be imagined, he can never quite manage to catch that incredibly dim-witted, utterly irrational roadrunner. There is something profoundly Beckettian about the image of a coyote who—fully aware of the laws of gravity—inevitably plunges into a canyon the moment the ground vanishes beneath him, while the roadrunner, in all its stupidity, simply hovers mid-air despite being a flightless bird.

Douglas Barnes13, I have one question: where on earth did that low rating come from? Based on your comment, my impression was more along the lines of: "THIS MOVIE IS F***ING INSANE, TURBO, MEGA, EXTRA, TOTALLY ABSOLUTE, COOL, AND I WANT TO DRIVE SWEET MONKEY LUV TO IT ALL DAY LONG, which is why I’m giving it a three."

*What?*

Richard Hernandez13 said:The premise sounds like the wet dream of any wannabe fascist.

Well... maybe they'll adapt Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and then those fascists can finally see their god!😲

Douglas Barnes13 said:It wasn't until I sat down to watch the movie that I realized just how much The Punisher influenced me growing up. It’s that whole 'natural justice' philosophy—brutal, uncompromising, and in a certain sense, almost inhumanly impressive. Zero remorse.

Oh really? So have you started dispensing justice in a "brutal, uncompromising, and inhuman" way yourself? 😬

I mean, yeah, it does sound interesting, mostly because it reminds me of Max Payne. I'm not sure if I'll make the trip to AMC Theatres for it, but I'll definitely pick it up on Blu-ray.

I honestly don't know. I prefer my superheroes to be properly mutated or radioactive. Any random guy can pick up an AR-15 and start hunting down criminals. For instance, I was just playing Max Payne recently, and let me tell you, it wasn't exactly easy handling a Tommy gun, especially since those heavy-hitting mobsters were actually quite dangerous—particularly if they had submachine guns. But did I demand a movie based on my life? No, sir! If I actually possessed superpowers, then maybe I’d at least demand a comic book!

Henry Bennett53 said:

Well, now.

It’s just uninspired—not particularly funny, quite dull, and frankly, just weak.

Thanks for coming out, everyone! I'll be back on stage all week long! 👋

Look, I’ll be blunt: I couldn't care less about CGI effects. To me, stop-motion animation is fantastic—not because it’s convincing or realistic, but simply because there is a charming, old-school soul to it. Honestly, if you try to make a digitally remastered version of Jason and the Argonauts using CGI skeletons, you’ll just end up ruining the best scenes in the entire movie.

I once watched Miraculous with 20,000 fathoms while listening to a German dub. I didn't understand a single word, but the film was still great. It was actually based on a story by Ray Bradbury and served as an inspiration for the Japanese filmmakers who created Godzilla.

The second film I saw—I think it was Jason and the Argonauts—was something I stumbled upon purely by accident on NBC one Sunday morning. I can't recall if the skeletons were in it, but I vividly remember that red Cyclops—it looked like a caricature from Richard Hernandez13's pictures—and that jellyfish, which was freaky as hell! That scene takes place in a dimly lit temple: you only see the shadow of the jellyfish cast against a massive flame, with snakes writhing over its scales. That scene genuinely terrified me.

I wish they would air those movies on TV again. I don't know if I would personally direct them today, but I would DEFINITELY want to watch them. I have a soft spot for adventure fantasy films, whether it's Sommers' The Mummy or the original King Kong from the 1930s. To me, those movies are pure gold.

And finally, something dedicated to Ray Harryhausen.

velvetotter26 said:I had no idea that guy was voicing Halle Berry...
But man, that suit looks incredibly tight!! How can you not see anything through it?

Well, THANKS! Now I won't be able to go within thirty feet of this movie for the rest of my life.

Whatever. I'm definitely not hitting the theater to see it. Maybe once it hits Blu-ray and has a ton of special features.

Even with plenty of extras, it would still be overkill if you ask me.

Well, there goes my last remaining reason to actually catch that movie in theaters. If they had just cast Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and let Tim Burton direct, we might have actually had a masterpiece on our hands. Besides, that costume Halle Berry wore is absolutely ridiculous. She looks like Mini Mouse holding a whip. Give me a break!

Matthew Doyle73 said:Samsara: According to IMDb, it's a film about Buddhism that doesn't actually have much to do with Buddhism, but it does feature explicit nudity. It's not bad; I'll probably catch it when it airs on TV, likely late Sunday night. 😛

Mmmm, naked Buddhists! Sounds absolutely thrilling! 👍