Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 684540 times)

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #280 on: January 23, 2017, 06:14:05 AM »
Mustang
Deniz Gamze Ergüven (2016)


I was going to start a whole diatribe about backwards oppressive patriarchal societies but that would be talking about the movie's subject instead of the movie itself. Instead, I would rather point out the specificity of Mustang in how it shows women, the victims of the abuse, participating in the perpetuation of the culture. They are watchdogs for transgressions, participants in the myriad forms of abuse and, most important of all, teachers, those responsible for ensure that the next generation of women will be as subjugated and accepting of the system.

Mustang is not so unsubtle as to paint too dark a picture of them however. The same grandmother who beats her charges at the beginning of the movie protects them from their uncle when they get seriously into trouble. Unlike the children, she is able to recognise the most egregious aspects of his tyranny but will not act to change matters. Marriage becomes both a cultural imperative and the only way to escape the bullying figure.

The girls variate between acceptance of their fate and various forms of rebellion. It comes down to how much each of them is going to suffer or benefit from it. One gets to marry her boyfriend and is content with that - her defiance is relegated to limiting herself to anal sex. Other will refuse to be disposed of in drastic displays of disobedience.

The movie is a fierce indictment of a culture that jars with the twenty first century world these girls somehow belong too. It celebrates agency and resourcefulness but is clever enough to know that lone individuals cannot win alone against an entire system and against the world. They can run and hide but it is only when there is a sympathetic, more enlightened, trucker who is ready to help that true escape can be achieved.

7/10
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DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #281 on: January 23, 2017, 06:24:00 AM »
The guys' attitude toward women was normal; that's the problem. I don't consider the status quo particularly tolerable so I want to denormalize it.

They are teenagers trying to get laid whilst respecting the women they pursue. It's a healthy thing. What can bother you about that?

I didn't see it as respecting them. There is an opening sequence/montage as they drive around, where the camera takes their perspective, essentially ogling all the women. And they have such a cocky, entitled attitude and don't take no for an answer, keep pestering the main gal until she goes for the guy.

There are several instances of them giving up on a girl who is demonstrably not interested. They are certainly cocky but I would not call them entitled. They believe in their ability to get sex but don't display a belief in a right  to it. That's why they try so hard, try to impress and be clever. They know they have to be worthy in some way and don't just expect it to be given to them. Sure, they ogle women and objectify them, but what's wrong with that? Unless you actually treat them as objects that only means you recognise in them potential sexual partners.

I wish the sports types in my uni behaved as decently as them. I have seen people exchange impressions and ratings on girls. Guys share information that should remain private so they can brag. At parties they are pushy in ways that make this movie look like a documentary on kindergartens. I am not even from a particularly macho school either.

To come back to the don't take no for an answer thing, that can happen, but the issue is more complicated than that because perseverance is often rewarded and even excepted. It is not pestering if it's part of a flirtation algorithm that is accepted by both parties. Except that's impossible to know in advance how anyone is going to react to perseverance or any other kind of behaviour so ultimately the baseball crowd is just trying to play its cards right?

Is the movie faithful and honest about how Linklater and his friends actually behaved way back when? No idea. What it shows however is not something I have a problem with.
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MattDrufke

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #282 on: January 23, 2017, 09:32:15 AM »
Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Live (2016)
Dir: Who cares? Really? Honestly?


The boy wanted to watch this. All I can say is that I found a movie worse than Batman V Superman in 2016.

D-/F+

Was Andy Daly entertaining, at least?

Meh... I guess he had a line or two of (clearly) ad-libbed dialogue that hit, the same with Rob Riggle.
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oldkid

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #283 on: January 23, 2017, 10:23:02 AM »
I think this gets at the heart of the strong disagreement about Everybody Wants Some!! -- the attitude toward and approach to the girls.   For many, myself included, this approach to dating and sex is just wrong.  It is not respectful, for although on the surface it seems to give the women some honor or fun, since the focus is just about the end game, so to speak, then it is objectifying the women and all that they do is ultimately for their own selfish purpose.

Others see nothing wrong with the approach.  It is certainly common, and there are women who don't have problems with being approached this way and seeing the sexuality as something they appreciate and join in willingly. 

And this can make the difference between seeing the film as an enjoyable romp or remaining uncomfortable throughout the whole run.
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Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #284 on: January 23, 2017, 11:28:12 AM »
Life Partners (2014)

The famous saying from When Harry Met Sally is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. At least as true is that single people can't be friends because the sex part gets in the way, namely single people become non-single people and priorities change and the friendships often just can't weather it. Here we watch as Paige (Gillian Jacobs) and her lesbian BFF Sasha (Leighton Meester) struggle with this. As someone on the wrong side of 30 to be single, I have some experience in watching people couple up and fade away.

I particularly related to Beth Dover's character in the early scenes as the broader group of lesbian friends hang around, replete with single desperation and cynical horror stories of prospective partners' deceptions, "she told me she couldn't do a monogamous relationship right now and then got into another monogamous relationship a week later."

As much as I relate to the general ideas, it is only a mildly amusing, mildly touching film that doesn't rise to any particularly memorable status. And somehow they get Adam Brody being not overly charismatic for most of it; usually he has oozed charisma.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #285 on: January 23, 2017, 12:02:51 PM »
I think this gets at the heart of the strong disagreement about Everybody Wants Some!! -- the attitude toward and approach to the girls.   For many, myself included, this approach to dating and sex is just wrong.  It is not respectful, for although on the surface it seems to give the women some honor or fun, since the focus is just about the end game, so to speak, then it is objectifying the women and all that they do is ultimately for their own selfish purpose.

Others see nothing wrong with the approach.  It is certainly common, and there are women who don't have problems with being approached this way and seeing the sexuality as something they appreciate and join in willingly. 

And this can make the difference between seeing the film as an enjoyable romp or remaining uncomfortable throughout the whole run.

But see, you're looking at it wrong from the second sentence. This has nothing to do with dating. Only the main character's relationship with the theatre girl is an instance of dating. These are guys who are only looking for sex and getting it from the girls who equally want sex. The latter are either equally looking for it or at the least willing.
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pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #286 on: January 23, 2017, 12:03:59 PM »
Just a reminder that Filmspot nominations ballots are due in the next 24 hours (before Oscar nominations are announced tomorrow morning). This is the 10th year of the Filmspots, so I'm really hoping to see as much participation as possible. Let me know if you have any questions.

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philip918

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #287 on: January 23, 2017, 12:37:26 PM »
Just a reminder that Filmspot nominations ballots are due in the next 24 hours (before Oscar nominations are announced tomorrow morning). This is the 10th year of the Filmspots, so I'm really hoping to see as much participation as possible. Let me know if you have any questions.

pixote


Did you get my ballot?

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #288 on: January 23, 2017, 12:51:21 PM »
Did you get my ballot?

Yes, I've received ballots from:

1SO
Bondo
Corndog
Dave the Necrobumper
dheaton
FLYmeatwad
¡Keith!
Knocked Out Loaded
MattDrufke
oldkid
philip918
saltine
shuabert
smirnoff
Teproc
Totoro

I'd like to see at least another twenty-four come in by the deadline. Is that possible? We'll see.

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Teproc

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #289 on: January 23, 2017, 12:59:04 PM »
That is... not a lot. I thought there were more lurkers around here.
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