Topic: The Movie Thread

@Ralizah I’ve seen Lynda Carter in the outfit and stuff but never actually sat down and watched the show. It was pretty cool that she turned up as the President in Supergirl though!

@Ralizah Well said regarding celebrity involvement in politics. I’m not opposed to people and entities (like the NBA and BLM) using their influence and platform, but I’ve never thought they should come across as experts or stoop to the level that the politicians do to get into the mudslinging. That’s pretty cool about Dolly Parton (and a simultaneous dig at Taylor Swift it sounds like) and her attempts to portray her opinions through her art rather than throwing rallys.
I do wonder if Mark Ruffalo is going to make good on the promise he was volunteered for though 😂.

@Th3solution What annoyed me about the movie stars encouraging people to vote is that it clearly wasn’t a drive to vote, it was a drive to vote Biden. Like it’s hardly the most controversial stance during that election to support him, just come out and be honest about what you’re doing!

@nessisonett Yeah, I hadn’t seen that clip before, so obviously I wasn’t influenced by it before Election Day, but it seems a not-so-thinly-veiled attempt to tell people who to vote for. After the 2016 election there was a huge outpouring of Hollywood celebrities coming out in open disdain for Trump. I guess this time around they decided to get a head start before it was already too late. Personally, I don’t think the Hollywood celebrity influence tipped the scale this time, but maybe it did.

@Th3solution I think the Ruffalo nude scene was tethered to a Clinton presidency.

No matter. If they want to earn my vote, they can give me a Chris Evans nude scene. Full monty. I won't settle for anything less. After all...

On a more serious note, I don't mind if entertainers who have something insightful to add to the political conversation speak their mind. Just like anyone else who has something worthwhile to hear. But your random airheaded celebrity crying about Donald Trump is not something we need more of, IMO, and even in times like these, I do think there is a greater good served by people who solely use their cultural clout to help bring people together and do good in the world without joining the football game, so to speak.

Which isn't to say that someone like Parton ignores society as it is. She has a long history of charitable giving, actually helped to fund the development of the Moderna vaccine, has spoken out in support of LGBT right, Black Lives Matter, and so on, and still manages to be one of the few public celebrities that can't be assigned a political faction.

@nessisonett

Yeah, there's always an unspoken "vote for us" in these big media voting awareness drives. With that said, just increasing turnout also benefits them, because Democrats benefit tremendously more from increased voter turnout due to the higher number of non-voting blocs in their coalition (whereas Republicans almost always turn out to be vote - especially if they're old white people, gun owners, anti-abortion activists, etc.).

Also, the Republicans have kind of turned themselves into the de facto anti-democracy party with their constant efforts to disenfranchise minorities and make voting harder in urban areas (which typically go blue).

One thing I will say about Donald Trump is that he's doing an amazing job of increasing turnout everywhere. 2020 saw higher voter participation rates among the eligible than any year since 1900. It's even carrying over to the runoff election in Georgia that's going to happen soon, as the early voting total is breaking records there.

@Ralizah If you want a Chris Evans nude scene, just follow him on social media, maybe he’ll slip up again and accidentally show Cap’s sword as well as his shield 😂

"again?"

What have I missed? Did he tweet compromising photos of himself by mistake or something?

checks

OMG he actually did!

@Ralizah Definitely one of the more embarrassing stories to come out of 2020!!

I've been watching the dirty Harry movies lately and they are so good. I think Magnum Force is my favourite but Sudden Impact was really good too, it was kind of a Dirty Harry movie but not a Dirty Harry movie at the same time.

@ralphdibny I've never seen any of those. They've never come off as my kind of thing. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only films I've ever seen with Clint Eastwood are Mystic River* and Million Dollar Baby. Both fantastic imo.
The Dirty Harry movies are the "Go ahead make my day" movies right? Or something like that.

Hmm and I figure since I'm here and in the throes of insomnia anyway, might as well share my opinion that I'm totally down with celebs speaking their minds about whatever. Sometimes what they have to say is disappointing or just plain dumb but hey, if I had a platform would I use it? Probably. I'm way too opinionated to keep my mouth shut most of the time and it'd probably be even worse if I were surrounded by adoring fans and yes men.

Besides, I find I can usually ignore a public figure's personal views when I don't agree and when I do agree it helps make them even more appealing.

*I guess Clint Eastwood's not actually in this, only the director. But this is your brain on far too many sleepless nights.

@zupertramp yeah that's right! They all have different catchphrases. They're sparsely used in the films but they are very famous lines. I think "go ahead and make my day" is from Sudden Impact. "Do you feel lucky?" Is from the first film Dirty Harry and "A Man has to know his limitations" is from magnum Force. The third film, The Enforcer doesn't really have a catchphrase but he does say "Marvelous" a lot, which is replaced by "Swell" in similar situations in the fourth film Sudden Impact.

I will admit that they are not the easiest films to get into, I think Dirty Harry is the hardest. It's very loosely based on the story of the Zodiac killer. But once you know the drill, I think the films only get better. The Enforcer lightens the tone a bit and is quite funny but still quite dark.

Hopefully going to get around to watching The Dead Pool (the fifth and final film). I sort of remember this one being my least favourite but I have an open mind going into it.

I do like a lot of Clint Eastwood films, including the ones where he is just behind the camera. He's quite prolific though so I've definitely skipped a few

@ralphdibny That's funny, I knew almost none of that. Well I've heard a few of the catchphrases but didn't realize they were from different movies. Honestly thought there was just one movie called Dirty Harry. Admitting this probably makes me a bit of a disgrace to my country, and my state lol.

@zupertramp @ralphdibny

Clint was/is just such a legend... if you enjoy his performances in the Dirty Harry films wait until you watch the dollars trilogy. I was never a fan of westerns growing up... much to my father’s chagrin. I eventually did realise what I was missing though and Clint is just the epitome of a badass cowboy. Those and Unforgiven are a great way to spend a day on the couch.

@zupertramp haha not at all! People just get around to films at different times. I used to hate it when people said things like "You haven't seen Scarface? Oh my days, I can't believe you love film but haven't seen Scarface!" Or something along those lines, I have seen Scarface but I'm just using that as an example. Sometimes you just don't or ever get around to watching a "classic" movie and you might never be in the mood for something, especially if it's built up a legacy reputation.

@colonelkilgore I love the dollars trilogy but The Good the Bad and the Ugly is a very meaty film, it's difficult to amp up and watch the trilogy knowing there is a 3 hour movie at the end of it, even though it is a brilliant film. A fistful of Dollars and a few dollars more are a bit easier to swallow with their truncated run times.

One bit of those films that really sticks out to me, I think it's in the first or second film, there's a scene where Eastwood rolls his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other and the score mickey mouses the action with this really cheesy swirl of music. That really made me laugh.

Lee Van Cleef is a highlight of the last two movies in the trilogy too. I'm quite in the mood to watch them all now that you've mentioned it actually!

@ralphdibny

Nice, always good to meet another Dollars fan. Yeah the Ennio Morricone score, while genius can seem oddly ‘quirky’ sometimes but does serve to lighten the sometimes somber mood. While I love them all, there is something about For a Few Dollars More that just edges it for me. It’s a lot more epic than the first but still harder-edged and more ‘raw’ than the third.

I fancy watching them myself now too... don’t think the missus will be a fan of the idea though.

@ralphdibny @colonelkilgore For A Few Dollars More is brilliant, the hat shooting scene is amazing! I really love a good Western, some of the best I’ve seen are Rio Bravo, The Searchers and 3:10 To Yuma. They get a bad rap because they get shown on ITV3 at 2:00 on a Sunday but Westerns are proper good fun.

@nessisonett

All classics particularly The Searchers. There is also a modern-ish take on The Searchers called The Missing which is very good. The coen brothers also made a few absolute classics with the True Grit remake, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and No Country for Old Men (a Western in all but name).

@Arugula Yep, while it’s slightly over egged with the 10 minute panning over everyone’s face while that bloody harmonica plays in the background, it’s a fantastic movie and Henry Fonda is surprisingly vicious given the other roles in his career.

@Arugula

Fantastic movie... the evolution of Sergio Leone from the Dollars trilogy. And yes Fonda as a villain, who’d have thunk it.

Whenever Fonda is brought up I have to mention 12 Angry Men, if there is anyone on this site, nay the world who has not seen that film (the 1957 version) you have to watch it. It still blows me away every time I watch it!