Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 684751 times)

Teproc

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3200 on: February 21, 2019, 02:39:19 AM »
Thunder Road

It gets worse. Toxic male's life rightfully falls apart, but thanks to the power of perspective, I guess we are supposed to pity him. Well, I don't empathize with toxic men. Setting aside the stupid "make a scene" scenes that I dislike, this had two bits in particular that irked me. He forces a random teen girl to get out of a car because apparently he is the enforcer of female chastity, even against their will. Then he proceeds to slut shame his young daughter for wearing makeup. Anyway, I certainly wouldn't want him raising a child.

F

Hm. I guess that's a way to read that film. Certainly the protagonist is a deeply flawed person, one we are supposed to empathize with but yes, he has a number of tendencies that are worrying to say the least... he's also in great emotional distress for obvious reasons. I don't necessarily want to defend the character, but I don't think the film wants you to condone all of his actions at all, it simply wants you to empathize. I suppose you didn't find the comedic elements to work either, which can't have helped.
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Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3201 on: February 21, 2019, 06:47:36 AM »
His issues clearly precede his mom’s death, so it isn’t like he’s broken by that, even though as a viewer we first see him behaving erratically at the funeral in the first scene. And I guess the comedy being of the awkward variety isn’t my style.

One thing that confused me: His ex-wife clearly committed suicide, yet in reference to finding her new man he tells his cop friend they better find the guy before he does. Why is he violently angry with that guy?

philip918

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3202 on: February 21, 2019, 10:57:26 AM »
His issues clearly precede his mom’s death, so it isn’t like he’s broken by that, even though as a viewer we first see him behaving erratically at the funeral in the first scene. And I guess the comedy being of the awkward variety isn’t my style.

One thing that confused me: His ex-wife clearly committed suicide, yet in reference to finding her new man he tells his cop friend they better find the guy before he does. Why is he violently angry with that guy?

I don't think she committed suicide. I think she OD'd. Her new guy was an addict who got her hooked again.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3203 on: February 21, 2019, 03:15:36 PM »
Further proof that Bondo is the anti-Sam.

You see more interested in being emotionally above this movie than trying to have any sort of empathy for a man because you find the political implications of his actions repulsive. Fair enough, but I think that's about the most inhumane and close-minded reaction you could have to a film. I think you confuse simply portraying this character as condoning every action. The opening scene seems to set the tone that he's a disturbed and distressed individual, which is part of why I found this film a deeply empathetic experience even though I don't agree with all of his behavior and actions.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3204 on: February 21, 2019, 03:33:54 PM »
I mean, I was put of from the start because the first scene didn’t seem to have any authenticity. In fact, almost nothing in the film felt like a real person, even a real bad person. But maybe my range of authenticity is limited by my Midwestern suppression of emotion.

MartinTeller

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3205 on: February 21, 2019, 10:51:15 PM »
At first, Aladdin seems like it could be one of the greats. It's got zippy energy, starts off with a couple of terrific tunes, the characters and plot are enjoyable, and there's Gilbert Gottfried. For, oh, about 35 minutes I was pleased as punch. Then, of course, Robin Williams has to burst onto the scene and spew his manic, unfunny bullshit all over the place. When I was a child, I was a huge fan of "Mork & Mindy" and Popeye. But since then I've hated Williams and his dumb (sometimes verging on racist) voices and "wacky" non-sequiturs and lame cultural references (really, a Jack Nicholson impression?). I will grudgingly admit there is a talent to what he does, but I simply cannot stomach what he does. Fortunately, he doesn't dominate the film as much as I feared he would, and he even reins it in at times. But yeah, when he poured on his shtick, I was miserable. Also, why must all Disney romantic leads conform to such conventional standards of beauty? I realize this isn't limited to this film, but it's starting to annoy me. Jasmine's waist is, what, about 4 inches around?

I could make a few other minor gripes but it'd be nitpicking. Honestly I enjoyed the movie... if it weren't for Williams, I'd rate it substantially higher. Rating: Good (75)

smirnoff

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3206 on: February 21, 2019, 11:03:58 PM »
Yeah, I could definitely do without Williams style of comedy... not just in Aladdin, but generally. It's never been my thing either.

I don't remember this film very well. I did watch a lot of the Animated Series that came after though. Also, the SNES game was great! :)

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3207 on: February 21, 2019, 11:29:37 PM »
That's been the change with me over the years. Back in 1991, Robin Williams as The Genie was everything. I once thought the movie was fairly lifeless until he showed up. It's difficult now to accurately estimate what he adds or takes away from Aladdin because I've heard the jokes too many times and with Williams passing away, it's become his defining moment as an entertainer.

I've watched three different versions of the Broadway Musical of Aladdin. I've seen Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911) play the role in his own style and I've had the great fortune to see James Monroe Iglehart, who won a Tony for the role. The two different interpretations showed me that Robin Williams is not the only one who can play Genie. Williams stream of conscious style is perhaps best for animation, but the other two expend an incredible amount of energy in the two big show-stopping numbers "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali".

Dead-on note on Jasmine's waist. At the time, Disney put up that they were being unconventional by giving Jasmine an Arabian nose, but it was a smokescreen. It's also icky that this underage princess distracts Jafar by seducing him.

PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3208 on: February 21, 2019, 11:58:44 PM »
It's also icky that this underage princess distracts Jafar by seducing him.
It's weird from a viewer perspective since it's a kid's movie for people in a culture where that should not be appropriate, but contextually in the movie it's not that weird, given that she's of a marrying age and in context her society expects her to be an object of seduction and the weird thing is that she wants and expects to more than that.

I feel the same about Williams generally but I like his genie, maybe because this is one of the few disney films I did actually watch as a child.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3209 on: February 22, 2019, 05:39:04 AM »
I don’t remember Jasmine being underage.

 

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