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[big ander]

Make up your mind, are they just to titillate, or are they to inform us about the characters? One I find justifiable, the other I don't.

titillation and sex has to inform the characters. I don't see where you're inserting a disconnect. name a film where we're shown a wholly nonromantic couple and then we cut to them banging and then cut back and their having sex has absolutely 0.00 effect on their relationship from that point forward. Like, a film can definitely have sex scenes that aren't justified but a film can also have so many other kinds of scenes that aren't justified. events that are otherwise incongruous with characters. events that attempt to provide depth of insight into a character that fail to do so. that you're singling out sex in particular is peculiar. if all you meant was "I don't like when an event in a film isn't justified and when it pulls me out of a film," why not just say that? the way you put it was that sex scenes specifically are bad because they often titillate and nothing more. I'd argue that every kind of scene in every movie has a chance of being empty. most movies are not good. so is your argument simply that sex scenes (or scenes of violence) have a higher probability of being unmotivated? even then I don't get why that argument is vital, but at least it kind of makes sense
edit: oh right and I meant to add, sometimes the only justification needed is entertainment. dont' see why that can't be sufficient justification when done correctly.

 

[StuBurns]

Passion of the Christ comes to mind.

I can't think of a film with a more justifiable display of violence, people are brutalizing the son of God. It's painful to watch, and it should be.

Similarly, Shame is a great example of very effective, and required, sex scenes.

if all you meant was "I don't like when an event in a film isn't justified and when it pulls me out of a film," why not just say that?

Because people were discussing sex in films, not general criticisms? I thought that was pretty obvious. And I find sex, and violence, to be the two things most often thoughtlessly interjected into films.

 

[Ridley327]

Honestly, the scene in question that StuBurns is on about is pretty damn gratuitous; not that I'm complaining about seeing Jessica Chastain naked on principle, but it really doesn't serve a whole lot of purpose beyond "because we could."

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Best Westerns of the past 20 years or so? Any recommendations? Using 'western' loosely. Seen and enjoyed The Assassination of Jesse James, Unforgiven, No Country For Old Men, Appaloosa, 3:10 to Yuma, Deadwood, Coen Bros. True Grit. That's all that comes to mind right now...

Got The Proposition (since Nick Cave wrote it) and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada to watch.

The Good The Bad The Weird. It's more of an adventure-Western but it's a ton of fun.

Open Range might be another one, I've heard good things but haven't seen it yet.

Rango was alright as well. Real love letter to the genre in animated form.

 

[Ridley327]

It's kinda hard to call The Good The Bad The Weird a western for a multitude of reasons (like taking place in the east, for example!), but that doesn't matter because it's awesome and needs to be watched.

 

[Nappuccino]

It seems like he's saying that if a scene has sex and doesn't inform the character, it is just titillation. If a scene has sex and does inform the character, it's not titillation.

(hopefully i'm not putting words in your mouth, just helping both sides get on the same page because it feels like there's some disconnect with the arguments at the moment)

-- think a western can more or less be called that as long as it follows the basic nature of a western (even if it plays with those ideas or is very subtle about them). I mean, The Proposition is one of the best westerns in my opinion, but the film takes place in Australia.

 

[StuBurns]

It seems like he's saying that if a scene has sex and doesn't inform the character, it is just titillation. If a scene has sex and does inform the character, it's not titillation.

(hopefully i'm not putting words in your mouth, just helping both sides get on the same page because it feels like there's some disconnect with the arguments at the moment)

It can still be arousing/titillating, like in Chloe, but it's not just to arouse.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

It's kinda hard to call The Good The Bad The Weird a western for a multitude of reasons (like taking place in the east, for example!, but that doesn't matter because it's awesome and needs to be watched.

Well "Western" has been about the genre more than being located in the American West since the 60's anyway. Lots of em take place in Mexico, for example.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Well, as a teen I was kind of aroused by Cronenberg's Crash. lol

 

[Ridley327]

I'm just being cheeky, that's all.

 

[StuBurns]

Everyone calls The Proposition (by the director of Lawless coincidentally) a Western, and it's in Australia.

 

[big ander]

It can still be arousing/titillating, like in Chloe, but it's not just to arouse.

that's the divide then: I do wonder what's wrong with sex/violence just to entertain? again, certainly that can be done wrong. But maximizing violence and/or sex can serve as entertainment. from the violence angle I'm thinking Dead Alive/Braindead or Evil Dead II. You could theoretically tell either of those stories with so, so much less gore and goopy blood. But...why would you? The violence is entertaining and after a certain point that's the only function it serves: excitement. I don't see the problem in that.

 

[Ridley327]

Well, as a teen I was kind of aroused by Cronenberg's Crash. lol

Well, then.

Well, then.

 

[HiResDes]

It can still be arousing/titillating, like in Chloe, but it's not just to arouse.

I don't even know if I would agree with that as a seemingly pointless sex scene or boobshot in a film can serve as parody when meshed when sequenced right in a film as say in Killer Joe when the characters find time to visit a strip club as they are faced with grim circumstances. Or the random boob shots in Tenebre.

...Also screw the new western recommendations, go back and watch The Searchers or The Treasure of Sierre Madre instead : )

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Well, as a teen I was kind of aroused by Cronenberg's Crash. lol

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Well, as a teen I was kind of aroused by Cronenberg's Crash. lol

I bet it was just James Spader, guys, nothing real freaky.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Well, then.

Well, then.

lol.

Hey I was 14 and didn't have access to porn, I took what I could get. I found the scarred guy very attractive (and Spader). It was the gay scene that I found arousing, not the crash fetish. I haven't seen it in over a decade so my memory is fuzzy.

 

[Kaladin]

I saw Hansel & Gretel last night. If you want a dark steampunk fantasy action movie, you could do worse. The R rating helps somewhat as there is certainly plenty of violence. I give it around a B.

Next week I should be going to see Warm Bodies.

 

[Jarnet87]

Just finished watched Ted and The Watch. Both are pretty decent comedies. I'm not a huge fan of Family Guy, enjoy it here and there. I did find the Flash Gordon bits greats.

 

[Ridley327]

lol.

Hey I was 14 and didn't have access to porn, I took what I could get. I found the scarred guy very attractive (and Spader). It was the gay scene that I found arousing, not the crash fetish. I haven't seen it in over a decade so my memory is fuzzy.

Koteas and Spader's love scene is, by far, the only scene in that film that qualifies as normal sexual behavior, and it is a pretty tender one, at that.

It was kinda funny that scene was the one that threw people up in arms, as they ignored the scene that happens a bit before that, which involved a foot-long gash in Patricia Arquette's leg and something that shouldn't be in there.

 

[t-ramp]

Watched a couple with my brother today:

The Hunger Games - An improvement over the book in my opinion. Mostly solid acting, direction, writing, and design. The cinematography is a bit dodgy and the score is awful. Overall I was satisfied, though. They handled the adaptation well.

Inception - A rewatch for both of us. Pretty good, though every time I've seen it I've thought the dialogue could be far more subtle. Nolan seems to have the characters explain what's happening even when it's not necessary. Otherwise it's great.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The thread's moving fast today.


As much as I enjoy Wes Anderson's movies I realized the only time I enjoy them is the first time I watch them. I really find his style to be ungrounding, like every film he makes takes place in an alternate universe that is seemingly similar to ours but something I can't quite put my finger on is totally different. This only gets more obvious once I'm familiar with the story and there are no more surprises. The problem is that his film's unique aesthetics are more important than the characters, the story - everything. Even the way the characters act informs a certain flatness. When someone gets emotional (which I don't remember happening too often) they remain reserved and muted. Visually, the flatness is literal. Three-dimensional spaces are often made 2-d from the cross-section of the boat in Steve Zissou to the house in Moonrise Kingdom to basically all of Fantastic Mr. Fox.

I probably did a poor job of articulating my point, but there's just something really unsettling about Anderson's movies that inhibits me from enjoying them.

 

[Buckethead]

lol.

Hey I was 14 and didn't have access to porn, I took what I could get. I found the scarred guy very attractive (and Spader). It was the gay scene that I found arousing, not the crash fetish. I haven't seen it in over a decade so my memory is fuzzy.

I had a thing for Debbie Harry in Videodrome but maybe that one is less, err, different.

 

[Darkgran]

Primer (2004)

Great movie. I had seen it a couple of times before but never really dug into it the way I did this viewing. Still not sure I get the whole thing...

 

[shogunduk]

Primer (2004)

Great movie. I had seen it a couple of times before but never really dug into it the way I did this viewing. Still not sure I get the whole thing...

I ruined it for myself by looking up a story guide after watching it for the first time. Half the fun is supposed to be in rewatching it multiple times and remembering things from your last viewing which make you go AHA!! when you piece something together. A great movie nonetheless.

 

[UrbanRats]

Because people were discussing sex in films, not general criticisms? I thought that was pretty obvious. And I find sex, and violence, to be the two things most often thoughtlessly interjected into films.

I would say cheap drama, myself.

 

[Lafiel]

I usually consider anything that's poorly interjected in the film regardless of the content to be poor film-making on part of the film. I mean it's not like the pacing and editing of let's say The Matrix Reloaded sucks because of that long-ass sex scene, the whole thing is a complete mess, it's just that sequence that's the worst offender.

 

[UrbanRats]

I usually consider anything that's poorly interjected in the film regardless of the content to be poor film-making on part of the film. I mean it's not like the pacing and editing of let's say The Matrix Reloaded sucks because of that long-ass sex scene, the whole thing is a complete mess, it's just that sequence that's the worst offender.

I don't even remember the sex scene in Matrix Reloaded.
At this point though the argument becomes pretty broad, if you don't single out sex, or violence or what have you for some reason, it's just saying: "out of place scenes in films are out of place" which is not even worth discussing.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Life of Pi was great.

 

[Frankenstrat]

Silver Linings Playbook is the best romcom I've ever seen. Watch it.

 

[Lafiel]

I don't even remember the sex scene in Matrix Reloaded.
At this point though the argument becomes pretty broad, if you don't single out sex, or violence or what have you for some reason, it's just saying: "out of place scenes in films are out of place" which is not even worth discussing.

The thing about sex scenes in film. Is maybe this is a bit of a wild thing to say - but due to most of our own cultural upbringings, by it's nature we find the act as it's portrayed on film to be awkward to watch, and some of us would prefer some films to not have sex scenes at all, due to the perceived awkwardness of watching it portrayed on screen I've seen people complain about well-directed sex scenes in the past too!

Spoiler

probably because they were watching it with their mothers

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Silver Linings Playbook is the best romcom I've ever seen. Watch it.

You've never seen When Harry Met Sally?

 

[ViewtifulJC]

or Annie Hall for that matter

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Saw The Impossible. For such a dramatic event, I felt rather apathetic towards this movie (big problem when the movie's main intention is to make you care). Maybe it was because of how contrived and forcibly melodramatic it seemed. I really despise music that tells you when you should cry in movies; sometimes it's ok, but in this case it was too on the nose. The movie wasn't that good anyways. 5/10.

The performances were good though. Also, the fact even most of the minor characters were white bugged me and what's up with them being a British family.

or Annie Hall for that matter

.

So good.

 

[Thug Waffle]

You've never seen When Harry Met Sally?

or There's Something About Mary...

But Silver Linings Playbook is pretty fucking good. Lots of dark humor and relative maturity which is pretty refreshing in that genre. I think he could make a good argument for it being the best he's seen.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

or There's Something About Mary...

Not quite up there with Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally. But it's fun.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Not quite up there with Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally. But it's fun.

Cool, I should check out When Harry Met Sally then.

 

[Frankenstrat]

You've never seen When Harry Met Sally?

Nope. Same with Annie Hall and There's Something About Mary. Hence my post.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Nope. Hence my post.

Annie Hall. See it! See them all.

 

[Thug Waffle]

Not quite up there with Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally. But it's fun.

I think it is. Personally, I don't even think Annie Hall's Woody's best romcom.

 

[xXBetter Off DadXx]

Watched Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which I thought was surprisingly pretty cool, nothing deep, nothing thought provoking, just a nice blood-soaked fantasy tale with some cool action scenes.

Also watched The Debt(2010), wasn't expecting too much from this one either but it was, I thought, a solid drama. Curious if any of this particular story is based on real events.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Cool, I should check out When Harry Met Sally then.

Dude, yes. Get on that shit. When Harry Met Sally is one of my favourite scripts dialogue-wise.

Nope. Same with Annie Hall and There's Something About Mary. Hence my post.

You're a lucky, lucky man. Get on it!

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Watched Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which I thought was surprisingly pretty cool, nothing deep, nothing thought provoking, just a nice blood-soaked fantasy tale with some cool action scenes.

Also watched The Debt(2010), wasn't expecting too much from this one either but it was, I thought, a solid drama. Curious if any of this particular story is based on real events.

The Debt was pretty much garbage. Seemed to be a fictionalized story inspired by Mossad's capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina.

Best thing about that movie was how good Chastain looked.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

I don't even think Annie Hall's Woody's best romcom.

Spoiler

Manhattan is on the same level though.

Something about Mary is fun, but not close to Annie Hall.

Annie Hall has one of my favorite moments of any film.

 

[Ridley327]

Yeah, The Debt was kinda disappointingly bad, especially that horrible goddamn finale, which I would deem as being particularly Sam Worthington-bad.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I will never, ever hold Manhattan on the same level as Annie Hall.

 

[harSon]

Yeah, The Debt was kinda disappointingly bad, especially that horrible goddamn finale, which I would deem as being particularly Sam Worthington-bad.

The scene with the water pots was really well done

 

[Frankenstrat]

You're a lucky, lucky man. Get on it!

Maybe when I'm done with Seinfeld for a while.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

I will never, ever hold Manhattan on the same level as Annie Hall.

I think Annie Hall is better, but Manhattan is pretty close.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I think Annie Hall is better, but Manhattan is pretty close.

When Harry Met Sally. Do it. Do it. DO IT.