Posts by Joseph Anderson15

silentridge8 said:I haven't seen "Crash," but I've heard about it. Given the title and Cronenberg's obsession with anatomy, I can imagine...😲 I finally figured out "eXistenZ" toward the end—I think Cronenberg just has his own specific niche audience and doesn't really aim for those massive Hollywood blockbusters.

hiddeneagle42 says:
Actually, that’s just not how it works. I don't want to be a pedant, but the American legal system doesn't have a category where you get off scot-free just because you killed a villain... though honestly, I wish it did! Though if we actually allowed that, lawyers would start twisting the rules so much that people would feel emboldened to kill anyone they disliked 😁... and besides, if someone is acquitted based on insanity, they aren't just walking free—they're sent straight to a psychiatric facility
. Fine, if we want to play pretend, we could assume the defense convinced the jury she was attacked by her husband and it was all self-defense 😁 🙄 😁

Look, that's exactly the kind of thing I want to see written into our systemic laws. Imagine if you were assaulted and you killed the monster responsible—if you could convince a jury that you were acting out of temporary insanity, or pure self-defense, or that you lacked any premeditated motive, then you'd likely walk free 90% of the time. But the second they realize you did it intentionally—that you decided he deserved it and you were just "cleaning the streets of a rapist"—then you're screwed. You had a motive, and nobody is going to look at you with sympathy; there's zero chance of acquittal. The reality is that the American justice system is built on certain Biblical principles—meaning regardless of what someone did or how vile they were (serial killer, rapist, etc.), you don't get to act as judge, jury, and executioner just because you feel like it. If you kill them, you're just a murderer in the eyes of the American system, not some hero cleaning up the trash like they make it look in movies—which is how most of us logically think it should work. It sucks, but it's the truth.😢

As for the movie itself... it was one of those films where you watch it once and forget it exists by tomorrow... 👎 though I will admit the tense soundtrack gave me the creeps—I actually had to turn the volume down at one point because I couldn't stand it anymore 😱
Then again, I've always been a bit of a scaredy-cat... so I guess I shouldn't be surprised 😉

silentridge8 says:
That’s just classic Cronenberg—he's clearly obsessed with raw meat.😕

Exactly. Just look at "Crash"... the guy is straight-up disturbed.
I mean, I dig how slimy "eXistenZ" is 😎 , but let's not pretend it's some absolute masterpiece...

Kyle White2 said:Yeah, people who’ve actually spent time in Japan lately are saying the exact same thing...

It isn't even authentic Japanese culture—it’s just imported American stuff... I really hope everyone understands that here.

Douglas Phillips4 says:>
Are you really calling it a copy just because of one similar scene? 👍>

The whole concept of artificial intelligence isn't some rare phenomenon—it’s been fantasized about, written, and filmed a thousand times over... you can't just toss everything into the plagiarism basket just because of that. In The Matrix, it's merely one thread of the narrative, just one part of the core idea.

Fine, fine—maybe it isn't plagiarism. But hey, I consider myself a tough critic. 😠

I'm heading out to run errands. 🙂>

Douglas Phillips4 said:I watched Ghost in the Shell and I don't see what was copied there—aside from the basic idea of an AI becoming self-aware.😕

Well, that’s exactly what I’m talking about—and besides, doesn't that opening scene from Ghost remind you of something "similar" from The Matrix?

And while we're at it, someone please explain the deal with Blade Runner—what exactly was stolen, copied, or considered plagiarism?

Lisa Wilson49 said:Fine, I'll finally start a thread on IMF someday.🙂

The other night, I stumbled upon this incredible Australian... well, horror... movie called Razorback—or wild boar, if you want the literal translation.

Honestly, it fits the horror genre because there's really no other bucket to put it in—though I know, who am I to judge? (🙂)

It was actually one of the first films I ever tried to transcribe by ear, and let me tell you, it was a nightmare for two days straight—mostly because I couldn't wrap my head around the Australian accent at first. That was my big lesson: watch the whole thing once before you even attempt to translate (a topic I already "dealt with" over at Studengor 🙂).

It’s one of those rare gems that doesn't need gallons of blood to work; it stays creepy and gives you the chills the entire time. It's even loosely based on true events, though they definitely added a touch of fantasy to spice things up.
The cinematography and general vibe are top-tier—directed by Russell Mulcahy, if I recall correctly.

And the soundtrack? Absolute perfection. It was composed by Iva Davies, the guy from that legendary Australian band Icehouse. George Lucas once said music accounts for 50% of the cinematic experience, and this film proves he wasn't kidding.

Has anyone else seen it? Or did it just fly under your radar?
(If I'd known it was airing, I would have cleared my schedule. 🙂)