NOW CLOSED ; List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

[SMOGZINN]

That's because some people want division, they want violence. The media hyping this movie up claiming all these bad things were going to happen, is just like the 2A rally yesterday. They're actively trying to create a problem that isn't there, or make an already existing one worse.

The Joker really does portray murder as a catalyst for political change in a positive light. While you and I understand that the protagonist is crazy with a capital H, it is worth considering that not everyone will take that message from the movie and that some, perhaps those with similar mental instabilities, will take away the message that murdering the right people will lead to them being seen as a hero. It is worth us talking about so that maybe some people will hear that message is not the right one.

 

[zinfamous]

The Joker really does portray murder as a catalyst for political change in a positive light. While you and I understand that the protagonist is crazy with a capital H, it is worth considering that not everyone will take that message from the movie and that some, perhaps those with similar mental instabilities, will take away the message that murdering the right people will lead to them being seen as a hero. It is worth us talking about so that maybe some people will hear that message is not the right one.

I mean, it's almost like that dude didn't literally murder a bunch of people at a movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises (after the Joker batman movie was a thing), and that rightwing nutters haven't long since been using Joker facepaint to honor their murderous desires to end "evil government suppression."

No, that can't be a thing...because movies shouldn't mean anything. They should just be dumb and stupid because I can only ever appreciate dumb and stupid and wish never to think when consuming product. Think = bad!

 

[Muse]

Topper (1937: Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young) 9.6/10

A favorite from when I was a kid and it's still incredibly great. Just stands the test of time fantastically. Made me laugh a lot the other night.

Hal Roach produced. He'd had a ton of success producing cheaply made Laurel and Hardy movies, decided to risk a high budget comedy and this was it, a huge success. With all the CGI they have nowadays, this is still a winner by comparison. It's been in the public domain since the 1970s. They colorized it in 1985. You can watch the original here (beware, there's another Youtube version that has horrible definition, but this one's great):

 

[pcslookout]

I watched his show a bit when I was young, so it intrigued me when I saw it on HBO. I was hoping it wouldn't be a documentary where he turned out to be like a creep like Bill Cosby or something, and I'm glad to report it wasn't that way at all.

Spoiler

I also didn't know of the insane attacks by some of the news media against him, or that the psychos from "God Hates ....." church showed up at his funeral. Those two aspects were really what shocked (and saddened) me the most.

That part surprised me too.

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

Big Ass Spider! - 7/10

After doing Lavalantula I had not had my fill of giant spider campy schlock horror movies and had to go for one more. Glad I did, way better than it has any right to be, it's a fun homage to the giant mutant animal on the rampage black-and-white flicks that were a staple on Saturday morning TV when I was a kid. As the title implies, it doesn't take itself too seriously or try to be anything other than a B-movie. And it delivers, that's one big ass spider!

I wonder if anyone is doing Big Ass Clown!! If there's one thing that would be scarier than a 100 ft spider it would be a 100 ft clown on the loose. Now I need to go back and watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space again. They were not giant clowns, but they were still great.

 

[CZroe]

I mean, it's almost like that dude didn't literally murder a bunch of people at a movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises (after the Joker batman movie was a thing), and that rightwing nutters haven't long since been using Joker facepaint to honor their murderous desires to end "evil government suppression."

No, that can't be a thing...because movies shouldn't mean anything. They should just be dumb and stupid because I can only ever appreciate dumb and stupid and wish never to think when consuming product. Think = bad!

The Joker Didn’t Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won’t Go Away

James Holmes was not dressed as the Joker when he killed 12 people in a movie theater in 2012, but the potent rumor continues to provoke fear—and worries of copycats.

www.vanityfair.com

 

[purbeast0]

Finished You season 2 last night.

Episodes 1-7 - 8/10
Episodes 8-10 - 3/10

You already have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit for this show, but something about it keeps me watching and it's entertaining. But the show just went off the rails about 1/2 through the 8th episode, and then it just went downhill from there. It just got so much more unbelievable and just out there that it kind of ruined it for me. It's still entertaining, but the last few episodes I was watching them like "come on ... really?" the entire time. It was almost like they didn't know how to wrap up the season so they decided to go this direction.

 

[purbeast0]

Jesus reading you guys talk about The Joker like it is some political statement makes me thankful that I am not a political nutjob like a lot of people on this forum. The people I see commenting about it are generally the people who are super active in P&N on an extreme end.

I never for one second thought ANYTHING about what you all are talking about while watching the movie. Nothing about it being a reflection of low/high class in our society, nothing about white entitlement, nothing about incels, nothing about "killing people in power in real life and you will be a hero" etc. It was a fucking movie about the origins of The Joker. Nothing more.

It's like no one has ever seen a batman movie before. This movie took place in Gotham City which is a shithole city with a lot of crime. I also really appreciated the tie in to Batman in the movie and thought it was pretty damn cool and very subtle and did not feel forced. I do agree though that it didn't NEED to do that and could stand on it's own, but I liked that it did that and that it was an origin story to a character that we've known for decades.

 

[pmv]

Jesus reading you guys talk about The Joker like it is some political statement makes me thankful that I am not a political nutjob like a lot of people on this forum. The people I see commenting about it are generally the people who are super active in P&N on an extreme end.

I never for one second thought ANYTHING about what you all are talking about while watching the movie. Nothing about it being a reflection of low/high class in our society, nothing about white entitlement, nothing about incels, nothing about "killing people in power in real life and you will be a hero" etc. It was a fucking movie about the origins of The Joker. Nothing more.

It's like no one has ever seen a batman movie before. This movie took place in Gotham City which is a shithole city with a lot of crime. I also really appreciated the tie in to Batman in the movie and thought it was pretty damn cool and very subtle and did not feel forced. I do agree though that it didn't NEED to do that and could stand on it's own, but I liked that it did that and that it was an origin story to a character that we've known for decades.

You can choose to shut your eyes, but don't pretend that makes things disappear. Whether any _particular_ interpretation of a movie is the 'true' one is debatable, but it seems unlikely to me that refusing to think is ever likely to produce good results.

 

[purbeast0]

You can choose to shut your eyes, but don't pretend that makes things disappear. Whether any _particular_ interpretation of a movie is the 'true' one is debatable, but it seems unlikely to me that refusing to think is ever likely to produce good results.

It's a movie. It's not a documentary.

The fact that some of you can't watch a movie for entertainment and always have to link it to your own political beliefs shows how off the deep end some of you are.

Again, the Joker has ALWAYS been this character in the Batman series. This isn't some new character that just came about during Trump's time in office.

 

[pmv]

It's a movie. It's not a documentary.

The fact that some of you can't watch a movie for entertainment and always have to link it to your own political beliefs shows how off the deep end some of you are.

Again, the Joker has ALWAYS been this character in the Batman series. This isn't some new character that just came about during Trump's time in office.

Where have I linked it to 'my own political beliefs'?

Almost every aspect of culture has some political meaning and effect. I'm baffled as to how you can think otherwise. Do you think movies exist in some other dimension and don't interact with the world we live in? That makes no sense to me.

Refusing to see reality doesn't change it. Even if you don't think about politics, it's going to think about you.

What do you think politics _is_? If you don't see how much of life is political you are being political but in an unthinking way. That's a luxury reserved for those who can get away with it.

Also I'm bemused by the way you seem to be actively upset by anyone looking at the politics of your entertainment. Why does it harm you? Why are you so desperate that everyone has to be as unthinking as you want to be?

A discussion of the politics of a movie is paying it the complement of suggesting it has some content.

I also don't get this distinction you draw between 'movie' and 'documentary'. I don't see any such clear line (not least because all documentaries have elements of fiction or creative manipulation in them - most of those that come to mind have that to a huge degree - and all 'fiction' has some basis in the real world).

 

[purbeast0]

Also I'm bemused by the way you seem to be actively upset by anyone looking at the politics of your entertainment. Why does it harm you? Why are you so desperate that everyone has to be as unthinking as you want to be?

This is a thread to rate movies. If you want to discuss politics and The Joker, go make a thread about it in P&N. It clutters this thread and there is an entire forum dedicated to politics. That is why it's annoying.

 

[pmv]

This is a thread to rate movies. If you want to discuss politics and The Joker, go make a thread about it in P&N. It clutters this thread and there is an entire forum dedicated to politics. That is why it's annoying.

I don't see how it's possible to discuss movies without mentioning 'politics'. It simply can't be done. As it's not P&N I'd refrain from getting confrontational or partisan about it, or straying too far from the movie itself.

 

[purbeast0]

I don't see how it's possible to discuss movies without mentioning 'politics'.

And there lies the problem in my eyes...

 

[zinfamous]

The Joker Didn’t Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won’t Go Away

James Holmes was not dressed as the Joker when he killed 12 people in a movie theater in 2012, but the potent rumor continues to provoke fear—and worries of copycats.

www.vanityfair.com

Yes, I know he wasn't dressed like the joker. So?

 

[zinfamous]

It's a movie. It's not a documentary.

The fact that some of you can't watch a movie for entertainment and always have to link it to your own political beliefs shows how off the deep end some of you are.

Again, the Joker has ALWAYS been this character in the Batman series. This isn't some new character that just came about during Trump's time in office.

The Joker is a different character every time he's used in a Batman story. If you can't understand the plain fact that people who create content like this put more into it than simply for base, empty entertainment, that's on you. You get what you want out of it, fine.

Don't assume that this is it, however, because it isn't. Just be happy that you like it for what you like, even if you only absorb half of what you are seeing. Also sounds like you are confusing politics with real social issues. politics is a way to address these things, but it doesn't generally create them.

 

[CZroe]

Yes, I know he wasn't dressed like the joker. So?

I intentionally didn't say you thought that, but now you have to answer your own question ("so?") in response to yourself:

I mean, it's almost like that dude didn't literally murder a bunch of people at a movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises (after the Joker batman movie was a thing)"

Just what was your point about it being "after the Joker batman movie" if you weren't claiming it was inspired by Joker or had anything else to do with it? I graciously gave you wiggle room to deny thinking that. Instead of reconsidering the rest of your statement you used the out and went on the offensive without reconsidering the rest of your statement. I'd hoped you wouldn't do that.

Not sure where you are getting the right wing connection with the Aurora shooting. Is it the assumption that mass shooters are always right-wing nutters simply because they employ guns? On a similar note, where did you get the idea that the right wing was previously attached to Joker imagery? Was it this...

Barack Obama "Joker" poster - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

...?

The guy who made the original (without "socialism") says it wasn't political. Even so, the right clearly associates Joker with the left with that meme.

Obviously there weren't previously a bunch of right wing nutters running around inspired by or idolizing the Joker as you and others seemingly imply. This was manufactured out of thin air to create controversy. Don't fall for it.

 

[zinfamous]

I intentionally didn't say you thought that, but now you have to answer your own question ("so?") in response to yourself:



Just what was your point about it being "after the Joker batman movie" if you weren't claiming it was inspired by Joker or had anything else to do with it? I graciously gave you wiggle room to deny thinking that. Instead of reconsidering the rest of your statement you used the out and went on the offensive without reconsidering the rest of your statement. I'd hoped you wouldn't do that.

Not sure where you are getting the right wing connection with the Aurora shooting. Is it the assumption that mass shooters are always right-wing nutters simply because they employ guns? On a similar note, where did you get the idea that the right wing was previously attached to Joker imagery? Was it this...

Barack Obama "Joker" poster - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

...?

The guy who made the original (without "socialism") says it wasn't political. Even so, the right clearly associates Joker with the left with that meme.

Obviously there weren't previously a bunch of right wing nutters running around inspired by or idolizing the Joker as you and others seemingly imply. This was manufactured out of thin air to create controversy. Don't fall for it.

why would I have to make an assumption that mass murderers are all right-wing nutters when it is factually true that ~80% of them are? That would be thinking wisely, based on literacy and engagement with the facts of the real world, when making such a claim about right-wing nutters, because it is absolutely true.

lol--the right associates Joker with the left, so it must be the left's problem. A club of murderous gun nuts think their sworn enemy are a metaphor that they don't understand, but it is not them, so we must trust their analysis, because they are clearly stable people.

Is that what you're working with here? JFC.

 

[Homerboy]

Watchmen HBO - 9/10

I gotta say, I went into this knowing virtually nothing about it or The Watchmen universe (except for the movie from ~10 years ago and I don't recall much about that except I thought it was "ok"). I watched this new series because Lindelof was at the helm and overall, it looked decent. I was more than presently surprised. I loved the story. How it was told. The atmosphere it was told in. Incredible acting performances by Irons and Regina King. And, I actually enjoyed the political statement(s) being used as the story vehicle.

I'm happy, yet bummed, they aren't going with a season 2. Overall, this is probably one of my bigger surprise "loved it" TV shows in a while.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Jesus reading you guys talk about The Joker like it is some political statement makes me thankful that I am not a political nutjob like a lot of people on this forum. The people I see commenting about it are generally the people who are super active in P&N on an extreme end.

I never for one second thought ANYTHING about what you all are talking about while watching the movie. Nothing about it being a reflection of low/high class in our society, nothing about white entitlement, nothing about incels, nothing about "killing people in power in real life and you will be a hero" etc. It was a fucking movie about the origins of The Joker. Nothing more.

It's like no one has ever seen a batman movie before. This movie took place in Gotham City which is a shithole city with a lot of crime. I also really appreciated the tie in to Batman in the movie and thought it was pretty damn cool and very subtle and did not feel forced. I do agree though that it didn't NEED to do that and could stand on it's own, but I liked that it did that and that it was an origin story to a character that we've known for decades.

Gotham was intended to be a representation of Chicago or Detroit (it has been both at different times, and in the more modern versions it has taken on a very New York feel). Comics, especially Batman, have always been political. They talk about current political climate, they reflect the things going on in our world in an attempt to understand it.

This joker is nothing like the Batman joker. For one, the Batman Joker comes about AFTER batman. In this movie Bruce Wayne is a kid. Joker has had several different origin stories, but this is not even close to any of them. It is forcing the Batman thing in to cash in on the DC franchise name, nothing else.

Finally, this movie is intentionally political. They did not accidentally put in all these current political issues. Art reflects life. Good art tries to tell us something about ourselves. I'm not sure that The Joker counts as good art, but it is certainly trying to be.

 

[Homerboy]

Gotham was intended to be a representation of Chicago or Detroit (it has been both at different times, and in the more modern versions it has taken on a very New York feel). Comics, especially Batman, have always been political. They talk about current political climate, they reflect the things going on in our world in an attempt to understand it.

This joker is nothing like the Batman joker. For one, the Batman Joker comes about AFTER batman. In this movie Bruce Wayne is a kid. Joker has had several different origin stories, but this is not even close to any of them. It is forcing the Batman thing in to cash in on the DC franchise name, nothing else.

Finally, this movie is intentionally political. They did not accidentally put in all these current political issues. Art reflects life. Good art tries to tell us something about ourselves. I'm not sure that The Joker counts as good art, but it is certainly trying to be.

Hell, the Rambo series is politically driven from start to finish.

 

[CZroe]

In case anyone didn't catch that...

I mean, it's almost like that dude didn't literally murder a bunch of people at a movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises (after the Joker batman movie was a thing), and that rightwing nutters haven't long since been using Joker facepaint to honor their murderous desires to end "evil government suppression."

The Joker Didn’t Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won’t Go Away

James Holmes was not dressed as the Joker when he killed 12 people in a movie theater in 2012, but the potent rumor continues to provoke fear—and worries of copycats.

www.vanityfair.com

Yes, I know he wasn't dressed like the joker. So?

[Then you must answer your own question...]

I mean, it's almost like that dude didn't literally murder a bunch of people at a movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises (after the Joker batman movie was a thing)

"So?"

[crickets]

Obviously you were associating the Aurora shooting with the Joker character and made a pretty egregious reach to do so. I pointed this out non-confrontationally so you wouldn't have to deny it since I never accused you of that... but in the end you chose to take that lifeline and hang yourself with it by denying your own misguided insinuation that the previous Joker movie had anything to do with it.

why would I have to make an assumption that mass murderers are all right-wing nutters when it is factually true that ~80% of them are? That would be thinking wisely, based on literacy and engagement with the facts of the real world, when making such a claim about right-wing nutters, because it is absolutely true.

lol--the right associates Joker with the left, so it must be the left's problem. A club of murderous gun nuts think their sworn enemy are a metaphor that they don't understand, but it is not them, so we must trust their analysis, because they are clearly stable people.

Is that what you're working with here? JFC.

...and now you defend your misguided insinuation that this had anything to do with the "right wing." The Aurora shooting was demonstrably not political. Books have been written about it. There isn't even a hint of it being a right-wing shooting. He was a crazy person.

Regardless of whether or not right wing nutters are responsible for more mass shootings or not, you are demonstrably barking up the wrong tree by trying to associate any of that with the Joker or the Aurora shooting. Now you are moving the goal posts away from that in another shameless attempt to save face, but let me remind you before you dig your hole deeper:
People can follow quote trees.

I'm sorry, but every single part of your original rant that I responded to was demonstrably misguided.

I never said the Joker was the left's problem. I challenged your idea that it was anyone's problem and asked you where you got the idea that he was some figurehead for the "murderous" right. I welcome you to show me any I have forgotten about but the only previous right-wing political message involving Joker that I can remember was the one I mentioned ("socialist" Joker-Obama meme). Saying that the right was obviously associating the Joker with the left in that meme was obviously not meant to say it is the left's problem:
it was meant to say that the only example I can remember doesn't fit your narrative that the right is "using Joker facepaint to honor their murderous desires to end "evil government suppression," so if that is what you based your "Joker facepaint" statement on then it is obviously misguided.

It would be nice if you responded with substance this time. Where did you see the right expressing their murderous desires with Joker facepaint any more than the left prior to this movie? I feel that it was a needless caricature and you've done nothing here to show otherwise.

 

[CZroe]

Hell, the Rambo series is politically driven from start to finish.

LOL! "Let's help the honorable and Noble freedom-loving Taliban fight the Commies!"

 

[CZroe]

Watchmen HBO - 9/10
...
I watched this new series because Lindelof was at the helm...

Does. Not. Compute.

Lindelof=AVOID

Lost?
Prometheus...
Star Trek Into Darkness...
Need I go on?

I'm genuinely curious how you came to appreciate his work when so many revile him.

 

[Homerboy]

LOL! "Let's help the honorable and Noble freedom-loving Taliban fight the Commies!"

It's like when people bitch about musicians and such being political. Music has been political for literally 100s, if not 1000s of years. it's nothing new and nothing that is ever going to change.