Miscellaneous Thoughts on Film

[Farfromgeneva]

I understand the data driven concept of creating a comprehensive unit that would be expected to generate more runs than they give up over a larger sample size providing an opportunity of the playoffs many seasons but it ignores the reality that in a short series the more individually talented teams win out quite often and you end up first round and out. I just think the book revolutionized a concept that existed outside baseball and it also doesn’t acknowledge the downside of running such a business model (and that’s before we note the copycat nature of pro sports which has ruined baseball by making a “fake” data a glitch driven exercise now and not a sport-all homers, strikeouts and defensive shifts along with ten pitching changes per team per game).

Couldn't agree more. It's just not the same game anymore. The guy in the clip is Tony Massarotti. Formerly a beat reporter for the Red Sox for well over a decade. He detests analytics and blames them for ruining baseball as we knew it. Here's a little piece of the rant he went on when the Sox traded Andrew Benintendi. He takes a swipe at the analytics guys in the process.

Going to check this out thanks. I’ve become less interested in all sports (though depression could be part of that but surely not all as I played 2-3sports for 15+ years of my life including one year of two in college) largely because of the business-ification of it. Sport to me is defined by a lack of precision and a large dose of humanity and human error being part of it. Strip that out and it’s not fun or interesting anymore, it’s just wealthy athletes doing what some dungeons and dragons experts are drawing up for them to do on a field/court not the natural beauty of sporting.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Sport to me is defined by a lack of precision and a large dose of humanity and human error being part of it.

Very well put.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

In looking through a number of Best Movies of the 1960's lists online this film is conspicuous by its absence. Nominated for five Academy Awards and two Golden Globes (Natalie Wood was nominated for best actress in both) this is a worthwhile film, just for Ms. Wood's performance alone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_with ... r_Stranger
Great scenes around New York city with a lot of humor mixed in though the film is anything but a comedy drama as you can see from the beginning:

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Quentin Tarantino seems to have developed a new genre – the historical fantasy. In Django Unchained, he gives a savvy, gun-slinging black man his freedom and the authority of a bounty hunter in the Deep South to strike mayhem where he sees fit. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood he gives us a look at what might have been if a tough-as-nails stunt man with his pitbull met the Manson family when they made their first home invasion. Both scenarios are immensely satisfying.

[Oldbarndog]

Has there been a bigger historical revision than Inglorious Basterds? Not to mention more entertaining.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Has there been a bigger historical revision than Inglorious Basterds? Not to mention more entertaining.

[Farfromgeneva]

Has there been a bigger historical revision than Inglorious Basterds? Not to mention more entertaining.

Not historical but a terrific movie that is a total surreal revision of Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays, Titus Andronicus (and one of my favorites of his works), was done a while back by this woman named Julie Taymor who’s deemed in artistic circles to be a very talented but let’s just say mercurial person. (She offered my sister a teaching gig at Columbia way back as they knew each other so ton of mutual professional respect and good offer but sister took director situation in Berkeley instead because there’s no way she could work for her she told me). The movie is amazing it’s called Titus and was done in 1999. Amazing movie IMO and terrific cast featuring:

Jessica Lange
Anthony Hopkins
Alan Cumming
Angus McFayden
Harry Lennox
And others


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_(film)

[Farfromgeneva]

Has there been a bigger historical revision than Inglorious Basterds? Not to mention more entertaining.

Not historical but a terrific movie that is a total surreal revision of Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays, Titus Andronicus (and one of my favorites of his works), was done a while back by this woman named Julie Taymor who’s deemed in artistic circles to be a very talented but let’s just say mercurial person. (She offered my sister a teaching gig at Columbia way back as they knew each other so ton of mutual professional respect and good offer but sister took director situation in Berkeley instead because there’s no way she could work for her she told me). The movie is amazing it’s called Titus and was done in 1999. Amazing movie IMO and terrific cast featuring:

Jessica Lange
Anthony Hopkins
Alan Cumming
Angus McFayden
Harry Lennox
And others


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_(film)

Here’s a taste from Harry Lennox who you may be thinking “the dude who runs the fbi unit on The Blacklist?”. He hangs toe for toe w Hopkins and Lange, as does Cumming.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xcLGJ0c-X9k

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

When one movie copies from another. That's an awkward way to put it. I don't know who would get the distinction of being the one who copied or borrowed or the nicest way to put it--paid tribute to another movie by ripping off a bit of dialog or in this case, a prop. In the 1970 movie Diary of a Mad Housewife, Balser and his wife attend a party at which is a table made of a naked female mannequin on all fours. Lo and behold, next year 1971's A Clockwork Orange has a futuristic drinking establishment--the Korova Milkbar--fully furnished with mannequins of like design.

[Farfromgeneva]

When one movie copies from another. That's an awkward way to put it. I don't know who would get the distinction of being the one who copied or borrowed or the nicest way to put it--paid tribute to another movie by ripping off a bit of dialog or in this case, a prop. In the 1970 movie Diary of a Mad Housewife, Balser and his wife attend a party at which is a table made of a naked female mannequin on all fours. Lo and behold, next year 1971's A Clockwork Orange has a futuristic drinking establishment--the Korova Milkbar--fully furnished with mannequins of like design.

How about when an actor redoes a role?

I, for example, think Alex Baldwin did a better job in Streetcar Named Desire than Marlin Brando.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

How about when an actor redoes a role?

I, for example, think Alex Baldwin did a better job in Streetcar Named Desire than Marlin Brando.

I would say that's different. It's a remake so everything is in the open.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

The first part of this is from a great documentary entitled The Don Rickles Project (2007). A well done thorough look at Mr. Warmth as Johnny Carson used to call him currently available in its entirety on YouTube https://youtu.be/XJPZMMx7NGI. Did anyone make an entrance on The Tonight Show like Rickles? Always accompanied with his own theme music (which if anyone can share how it came to be his theme music and where it came from I would be most appreciative). So--two classic entrances here:

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

There are movies I enjoy watching again on occasion but only partially. Little Children, for instance. I can't stand the ending so I watch it up to a certain point and then stop. This Property is Condemned is another one. So many great scenes in that movie, like the conversation between Alma and Owen around the redheaded scarecrow, but I just can't stand to watch the tragic ending. Same with The French Connection. I'll watch that up to Popeye Doyle's grim mock wave to the French drug dealer and maybe a minute after before I turn off the end. I like the first eighth of Hitchcock's Psycho but the rest of the fim doesn't interest me. Some movies start out great but can't sustain till the end, like Life with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. The writers just ran out of material about halfway through the script. Then there are some movies where there are a few worthwhile scenes, like Stephen King's Christine. Harry Dean Stanton's first scene, and Christine's revenge against Moochie and Buddy Repperton. Maybe a scene or two with Robert Prosky too. The rest of the movie is so bad I couldn't watch it in its entirety again. Once was more than enough way back when.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Lots of ways to watch streaming movies online free. Some are much better than others like Tubi and Crackle. Some are the pits, like Pluto. Steer right clear of this one. You get bombed to death with commercials.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

This could also go under BOOKS but I thought I'd put it here as it does have something to do with the movies too.

Stephen King might have gone to the movies to see The Front when it came out. It was released mid September 1976. At one point in the film, Woody Allen's character says to Zero Mostel's character, "Have a drink." Which Mostel's character comes back with, "Before the *sun is over the yardarm?" I'm supposing that because it was a recurring cliche that Jack Torrance called to mind and even spoke during Stephen King's The Shining which was published late January 1977.

*A traditional nautical saying to indicate that it is time for a morning drink. It was generally assumed in northern latitudes the sun would show above the foreyard of a ship by 1100, which was about the time in many ships of the forenoon ‘stand-easy’, when many officers would slip below for their first drink of the day.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Inside Llewyn Davis

Some of the scenes and dialog are great but I don’t like any of the songs—or I should say I like them okay, they’re just too hook-y. Can’t stand songs that get stuck in my head. One thing that becomes clearer with each viewing of this movie—Davis’s music brings no pleasure to most folks. Sad life. Some funny dialog though. All the scenes between Oscar Davis and Carey Mulligan are great. The scenes at the union hall are classic.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

I can't say enough good things about The Help. An excellent picture through and through. Scene after outstanding scene filled with drama, humor, tears; touching, meaningful and sometimes hilarious dialog, etc. So many brilliant performances.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Why has Harry Dean Stanton been "uncredited" in many of his films?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Dea ... ilmography

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

There are films where an actor has a great performance and may be on screen for only one scene. One such occurrence is Anne Bancroft in Malice (1993). She plays a bitter, broken down alcoholic with a sarcastic sense of humor. She steals the show with her one scene. She plays opposite her (in the movie) son-in-law and has only this one scene.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

"Outdated Cultural Depiction"

Has anyone seen this new warning recently added to movies viewed on streaming services? I'm trying a free trial with Roku online and this was included with the other warnings preceding the comedy classic "Trading Places" with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. The thought police are wagging their fingers in all kinds of different directions. Is the day far off when this movie and others like it will be banned?