THE CINEMA LOUNGE

[Dr.]

 

[Link]

Directed by Mel Gibson, starring Mark Wahlberg. Classy... Love that they specify him as a balding hitman.

 

[Kane52630]

A pretty good discussion with the CEO of IMAX.

 

[Babillygunn]

Billy Dee Williams Says Actors Should Be Allowed to Wear Blackface

"If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do," Williams said during a podcast appearance this week.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

I love Billy Dee Williams. He is one of my all time favorite actors. But even he admits that his family was part of the “black bourgeois” such that he hasn’t experienced as extreme of prejudice as some other African Americans. Maybe this is a topic that he should refrain from as he may have very different experiences from others.

 

[emielaen]

Idk who here would've seen or heard about this, but if you're into weirdo ****, check out Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World by Radu Jude if you can find it somewhere. He's a Romanian madman provocateur. The film is absolutely insane and potent and monumental.

 

[Kane52630]

The conundrum of rating movies.

 

[Link]

The conundrum of rating movies.

View attachment 87830

I just had the same conundrum. It doesn't feel right, does it?

 

[Kane52630]

Yeah apparently in my world (letteboxd) Jingle All The Way gets the same rating as The Shawshank Redemption without hesitation.

 

[flickchick85]

The conundrum of rating movies.

View attachment 87830

I just had the same conundrum. It doesn't feel right, does it?

A looooooong time ago I attended a talk with Roger Ebert (pre-illness and jaw surgery) where he kinda put this into perspective. During the Q&A, someone jokingly gave him a hard time about giving The Santa Clause 2 three stars while he gave some more prestige-y movie I can't remember (so we'll just call it Prestige Movie) 2.5 stars. They were like, "so does that mean you really feel Santa Clause 2 was a better, more worthwhile movie than Prestige Movie"? And he said he scores movies based on how good they are at being the type of movie they're trying to be. So he said those scores meant he thought The Santa Clause 2 was better at being a Santa Clause movie than Prestige Movie was at being a Prestige Movie. That kinda made movie ratings make a lot more sense to my teenage brain.

 

[Spider-Fan]

A looooooong time ago I attended a talk with Roger Ebert (pre-illness and jaw surgery) where he kinda put this into perspective. During the Q&A, someone jokingly gave him a hard time about giving The Santa Clause 2 three stars while he gave some more prestige-y movie I can't remember (so we'll just call it Prestige Movie) 2.5 stars. They were like, "so does that mean you really feel Santa Clause 2 was a better, more worthwhile movie than Prestige Movie"? And he said he scores movies based on how good they are at being the type of movie they're trying to be. So he said those scores meant he thought The Santa Clause 2 was better at being a Santa Clause movie than Prestige Movie was at being a Prestige Movie. That kinda made movie ratings make a lot more sense to my teenage brain.

I never heard him say that, but I have more or less always looked at it that way lol

 

[Kane52630]

Sony in Talks to Join a Bid to Buy Paramount

The company and Apollo Global Management are discussing a joint effort, even as Paramount conducts exclusive merger negotiations with Skydance.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Black Narcissus]

Fallout is fun. I hope the younger bald Nolan bro doesn't jump the shark like he did on westworld.

 

[Link]

A looooooong time ago I attended a talk with Roger Ebert (pre-illness and jaw surgery) where he kinda put this into perspective. During the Q&A, someone jokingly gave him a hard time about giving The Santa Clause 2 three stars while he gave some more prestige-y movie I can't remember (so we'll just call it Prestige Movie) 2.5 stars. They were like, "so does that mean you really feel Santa Clause 2 was a better, more worthwhile movie than Prestige Movie"? And he said he scores movies based on how good they are at being the type of movie they're trying to be. So he said those scores meant he thought The Santa Clause 2 was better at being a Santa Clause movie than Prestige Movie was at being a Prestige Movie. That kinda made movie ratings make a lot more sense to my teenage brain.

For sure, every movie must come with its own rating scale. I can be fairly obsessive about the order of things, so thinking like that helps with something like Letterboxd. I do find myself adjusting ratings that I've given in the past, mostly because I'm a lot more generous star-giver now. Edge of Tomorrow, three stars. Stingy much, Mr?

 

[Dr.]

My theory, which is mine… I think part of the confusion/discrepancy comes from the dual nature of film reviews. Sometimes, a reviewer will be in “serious critic” mode, writing (essentially) for fellow cinephiles. In this scenario, the implied context is a landscape of other/similar “art movies.” Thus, a rave for (say) Mulholland Drive is for a specific type of audience. At other times, however, the reviewer will assume “consumer advocate” duties. Here, the criterion is sufficient “entertainment value” to warrant the $15 ticket price. And a “rave” might look like this: “Well, if you liked the previous Fast & Furious movies, you’ll enjoy this new one. On the F&F scale, it’s better than most.”

Now, the difference between these two types of evaluation (cinema criticism vs. movie consumer advocacy) is obvious enough — to anyone who actually reads them. I.e., a serious/art film lover isn’t going to be misled by the accolades given to Top Gun: Maverick. Likewise, a mainstream/action film fan isn’t likely to consult BFI’s Top Ten of All Time for recommendations. But this distinction and nuance is lost when reviews are summarized to a numerical value.

Ebert was a very smart guy; so, of course, he knew all this. Therefore, it’s interesting (ironic?) that he and Siskel were the critics who popularized the binary scoring system. A movie was either or . And a similar binary — fresh or rotten — is now a famous feature at Rotten Tomatoes

 

[Kane52630]

Target Will Reportedly Stop Selling Physical Media Next Year

Target will reportedly no longer sell physical media online or in store as of next year.

collider.com

 

[Drizzle]

Target Will Reportedly Stop Selling Physical Media Next Year

Target will reportedly no longer sell physical media online or in store as of next year.

collider.com

I knew this would come since it seems like the Blu-ray shelves at Target shrink every year but I didn't think it would happen this soon.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Writing has been on the wall. Physical media at this point is very niche.

 

[Drizzle]

Admittedly I have been leaning a little more on Amazon for my 4K purchases lately but if there's something I want immediately and not want to risk delivery delays then Target is my go to. After they stop I can only assume Wal Mart will follow suit, and then after that physical game discs will be next on the chopping block but those will probably hold out a little while longer, at least through the release of GTA VI.

 

[-Arya-]

I picked up some 4K discs at Target but most of my purchases have already shifted to online with Amazon and various boutique labels. Catalogue movies should be ok in the future, but I just hope the big studios don’t eliminate physical releases of new movies.

 

[DyeLorean]

I've never seen Road House. Should I see the original or the newest one?

 

[flickchick85]

I've never seen Road House. Should I see the original or the newest one?

I just watched the original for the first time last week. It’s a ton of fun. Cult classic for a reason! Haven’t seen the remake yet, though.

 

[-Arya-]

The original is schlocky fun. The remake sucks.

 

[Kane52630]

Saw both films back to back for the first time, they're both the same kind of crazy nonsense that acts like neo-westerns... only one is pure 80s and the other one is pure 2020s.

 

[Kane52630]

I swear A Quiet Place: Day One is the new Argylle, every movie I've seen in theaters for the past two months, they play that same trailer.

 

[Snow Queen]