Posts by Zachary Thompson2

Capitalism has officially arrived in our city. Honestly, I actually think that a business like AMC Theatres, driven purely by the bottom line, will always work harder to provide a better service and a superior cinematic experience than some government-run institution. "Give me a cinema!" might be a valid rallying cry for the rest of the country, but for Washington, D.C., it just doesn't make sense.

Maria Peterson said:You're totally mixing up apples and oranges here. Sometimes I wonder if I'm writing in code or if people actually need pictures to understand me.
Nobody is calling for an "arts" program. We already have that at Central Park. Maybe I’m missing something, but please explain why you think people would only watch Miami Vice at AMC Theatres rather than in a similarly (if slightly less) polished theater in Europe?
And why on earth do you think the dramatic repertoire of the Metropolitan Opera would draw a bigger crowd than Pirates of the Caribbean?
I have to admit, I can't follow your logic at all. What exactly is the issue with watching movies in that specific theater?

Clearly I misunderstood, my bad. I thought the outcry was because there aren't enough theaters showing high-quality American films. The way you've laid it out just doesn't make sense. You've got two multiplexes, a third one opening next year, and yet you're suggesting a place like Cinema Europa would show the exact same lineup as the big chains? I honestly don't get the point. At a multiplex, you'll always have five or six different movies to choose from, better sound, better picture quality, easy parking... I really don't see the difference between sitting in a dark room at Europa versus a dark room at a multiplex. The only thing I care about is that the multiplex is more comfortable and I don't have to worry about some spider crawling onto my car.

Maria Peterson said:Wait, what? I feel like you’re totally missing the point here. Nobody is actually calling for Spartan living conditions. But look at the logic: if Washington, D.C., buys up four halls—say they turn one into a dance center, another into a theater, and a third into another theater—why does that fourth one *have* to become a theater too? Why can't it just stay a cinema? Instead of blowing, I don't know, three million dollars to renovate it into yet another stage, why not spend a third of that to make it a perfectly cozy, modern movie theater?!?!

Most of the time, it’ll just sit there empty. It was the same deal on Broadway when that Asian film series ran; it was a ghost town. Some "cultural elite" showed up to take photos on Friday and Saturday, but the rest of the week? Total silence. I watched 'Memory of Murder' in a theater with maybe three other people. Between you, me, and maybe 100 others in the whole City of Washington, D.C. 😁, I really don't think it makes financial sense for the city to subsidize a standalone cinema. At least people actually show up for the theater.
Nobody is asking for Spartan conditions—not even me—but honestly, most of the theaters owned by the City of Washington, D.C. are like that. They just aren't inviting.

So, Central Park isn't cutting it anymore? Look, any European visitor could head over there to catch a high-quality film. Honestly, I think we could strike a deal with the major multiplexes—maybe even get some institutional subsidies—to host special screenings of indie gems or great American films. Personally, I wouldn't mind catching a top-tier movie in a dark theater with comfy seats, incredible sound, and a bucket of caramel popcorn. 🙂 I really don't need some Spartan setup with uncomfortable chairs, terrible audio, and a grainy picture. I truly believe this would actually cost them less than trying to maintain those massive, probably money-losing flagship locations right in the heart of the city. If AMC Theatres can rent out halls for kids' birthday parties, they can definitely handle something like this.

Over at Sight & Sound, they just dropped a four-page deep dive on the movie. Honestly, I bet even Michael Mann didn't realize just how much subtext was packed into every single scene.😁

Personally, I’d argue that Jamie Foxx delivers a much stronger performance and leaves a far more lasting impression than Farrell. While Farrell's character definitely gets more screen time, Foxx just completely outshines him every single time they share a scene together. It’s all about that presence.

Look, I get it—Portishead is Trip-hop, but they’re just too mainstream. It feels wrong to lump them in the same breath as the real heavy hitters. Man, it must have been such a struggle for DJ Shadow. 😁

If we're talking about artists you haven't mentioned yet, I’d definitely suggest checking out Terranov, especially the album 'Peace is tough'. You should also try to track down some stuff by Boards of Canada. Also, give DJ Krush a listen—specifically the albums 'Jaku' and 'Krush'. And don't miss DJ Vadim's 'USSR The art of Listening'.

I won't go as far as calling it Trip-hop, because I don't want Roose losing his mind on me like last time😁, but it's in that same vein and absolutely top-tier, so definitely give it a shot.

Ethan Perez97 said:And there's also the fact that you just can't help but love Martin Scorsese.

So, what, the whole universe collapses if you don't? 🙄

Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, Spirited Away, and 2001: A Space Odyssey—honestly, they're all painfully boring.

Peter Reed81 said:The movie tries to push us to think about developing nations and how to help them, forcing certain moral dilemmas on us rather than just being an action flick.

I don't think this film tries to force anything on us, unlike so many others. It simply shows the crap that happens every single day through the eyes of a character who is morally corrupt yet generally competent. He’s just doing his job—the only thing he knows and the one thing he's good at—and he doesn't dwell on morality. Because that sense of "morality," the idea that selling weapons is wrong or illegal, is being imposed by a government that is actually the world's largest arms dealer.
Like he said himself, if he won't do it, two other guys will step up to take his place tomorrow.
And the movie sticks to that. It never slips into unnecessary sentimentality or preaching. When the dictator (an incredible performance by Eamonn Walker) kills a soldier for no reason, our protagonist is mostly concerned with how he can sell the pistol used in the shooting since it's now been used. You can see on his face that he doesn't approve, that he thinks it's wrong, but he simply moves past it without overthinking it.
You can read all of that right on the face of Nicolas Cage. Brilliant acting.

Cage's lucid monologues also elevate the overall impression of the film. They feel like they were pulled straight from a novel; they are much better than the rest of the dialogue. "The main Russian export is weapons. Only after that do you get vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists." 🤣

Visually, it's excellently crafted, featuring an interesting intro following a bullet that ends... well, just watch it. The scene where they strip down the plane. And then there's Cage's cocaine-and-gunpowder madness.
Great soundtrack, too.
A powerful film. It's been a long time since I've watched something this good.

Tarantino is a god. I am seriously counting down the days until I see that new one, Takeshi's. From what I've managed to catch, some of his scenes are absolutely wild.

I’ve seen pretty much everything except Sonatina, which is just sitting there waiting on my hard drive. I'll get to it once I pick up a decent player. It feels like a crime to watch something like that on a tiny 15" screen.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that Hana-bi is actually my favorite of his. Right after Brother, which I honestly think gets way too little credit. Probably just because it was filmed in the USA, and critics tend to be snobs about that. 😁

But you have to admit, the subject matter is provocative and really breaks through certain social taboos. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

They didn't go to school just to be entertainers. Their goal is to open people's eyes by being intentionally provocative. They want to highlight the profound isolation felt by the modern individual 🙏 🙏 🙏 within today's society.🙏 🙏 🙏

Just finished watching... It’s not bad if you just want some mindless entertainment. Honestly, I don't think Gilliam was even aiming for anything profound here. 😁

At first, the whole thing felt pretty lightweight, especially when I saw Gareth from The Office 🙏 popping up alongside that over-the-top Italian guy, Cavaldi.
Later on, once the plot shifts into that haunted forest, the movie takes a darker turn. In my opinion, that part is actually handled better—it almost feels like a legitimate horror flick.
The trees and that little village feel a bit fake, though; they look almost like a cheap plastic set just dropped into the middle of nowhere.
But I suspect that’s intentional. It keeps the visuals from clashing too hard with the film's overall goofy tone. If the setting were too realistic, there would be this weird disconnect between the silly dialogue and the environment. 😁

As it stands, everything has this strange, twisted sort of charm.

Are you seriously suggesting that nobody else thought to start a thread about Lord of the Rings before you, or are you just messing with me?😕

What I can't stand is when I reply specifically to an edited comment.😁

In the spirit of our discussion, I think it sounds much better to say 'to die in ignorance'.🤣

H3MAT0M said:Is this the one?
"The Joker" - "One Night In NYC"

They actually played that track at a HIP campaign rally. You had the smiling faces of Pašalić and Tuđman Jr. flashing on the big screen while the speakers were blasting "fucked her all night." And then people have the nerve to call them conservative.😁 😁 😁

He promises. 🙏

...when he's lighting up a cigarette in bullet time. 🤣

Jose Chase2 said:Worshipping the devil has absolutely nothing to do with human freedom.👎

It isn't about the devil; it's about the light. After all, "Lucifer" literally translates to "the light-bringer" in its original language.😬 😁

Comfortably Numb from Pulse