Rate the last movie you saw

[The Oi]

I've got The Professional, Zero Dark Thirty, Being John Malkovich and Predator all on DVR recorded over the last few days.

What order do I watch these in and why?

 

[Ohio]

Don Jon

Really interesting movie. Scar Jo was her usual cunty self, but this time with an awful accent. Julianne Moore was as blah as usual. JGL was pretty great though. A decent film concept but left a lot to be desired with poor acting.

6/10 but worth a watch

 

[gourimoko]

I've got The Professional, Zero Dark Thirty, Being John Malkovich and Predator all on DVR recorded over the last few days.

What order do I watch these in and why?

Predator > The Professional > Being John Malkovich ... Zero Dark Thirty isn't worth watching.. movie is total nonsense, and presents a lie as reality. Total nonsense, and neo-con commercial.

 

[Rich]

I enjoyed Zero Dark Thirty. I mean is it best picture worthy? Nah. But then again neither was Argo.

The Professional....it depends on how you feel about a little pedo-vibe to your flicks, assuming you watch the extended version.

 

[The Oi]

Predator > The Professional > Being John Malkovich ... Zero Dark Thirty isn't worth watching.. movie is total nonsense, and presents a lie as reality. Total nonsense, and neo-con commercial.

Would you put Predator in the top five all time of action movies? I would. I could watch Predator weekly. The sound effects in that movie are what really make it. Guarantee anyone that's watched the movie a single time can imagine all the Predator sound effects in their head.

The Professional....it depends on how you feel about a little pedo-vibe to your flicks, assuming you watch the extended version.

Nah, I've watched it. Not a fan of a pedo vibe, but I do like great movies and it qualifies.

 

[Derek]

Saw Amazing Spider-Man 2 last night. Loved it. I didn't think they'd have the guts to do what they needed to do, but they did it to perfection. Electro was an awesome villain, and they set things up really well for the next installment.

 

[gourimoko]

Would you put Predator in the top five all time of action movies? I would. I could watch Predator weekly. The sound effects in that movie are what really make it. Guarantee anyone that's watched the movie a single time can imagine all the Predator sound effects in their head.

I think I had it in my Top 10 a few pages back...

Greatest action movie of all time, in my book, definitely goes to The Matrix.

Gourimoko's definitive list:

1) The Matrix
2) Aliens
3) The Terminator
4) Raiders of the Lost Ark
5) Die Hard
6) Mad Max
7) The Road Warrior
8) The Dark Knight
9) First Blood
10) Terminator 2

Honorable Mentions: Bloodsport, Lethal Weapon, Robocop, Total Recall, Ronin, The Bourne Identity, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Tim Burton's Batman, and Predator.

I left off Westerns, Animes, classics (i.e. The Dirty Dozen), and Kung-Fu films, all of which I enjoy, to keep the list easily comparable.

I also did not put up movies that are so bad they're good like Death Wish, and also mild parodies like Action Jackson because they seem to blend genres.

p.s.
I was surprised Predator wasn't higher on the list once I re-read it. I've always thought of it as Top 3, but when going back and really thinking about it, it's not. I can't say it's really a better movie than any of those, even though I absolutely love the Predator series.

Kinda funny I made special mention of Predator, because it's really such a great movie.

Nah, I've watched it. Not a fan of a pedo vibe, but I do like great movies and it qualifies.

If you watch the extended version, it might put you off a bit. If I remember correctly, the original intent of the movie showed that there was a possibly pedophillic relationship that was evolving between Leon and Mathilda. Although Leon never actually has sex with Mathilda as far as I know, they begin sleeping together and Mathilda, who is 12, propositions Leon who appears tempted.

The version that was filmed did not match the original story as much of the sexual aspects of their relationship were removed due to objections by Natalie Portman's parents.

The originally released version of the film had some of this material edited out to make the relationship more ambiguous, and the American version had entire scenes removed because they felt audiences would immediately reject the protagonist as a possible pedophile due to the dialogue he has with a 12 year old girl.

I totally agree with you, it's a good movie, but it is weird as fuck.

 

[The Oi]

American version had entire scenes removed because they felt audiences would immediately reject the protagonist as a possible pedophile due to the dialogue he has with a 12 year old girl.

Tangent time...

I'm curious as to whether these discussions are still had behind the scenes today with ALL studios. It's 20 years later and movies have gotten far more racy and a great deal of subject matter that may not have been acceptable in the past is considered so now. I wonder if a mainstream audience could accept a character that they'd perceive as flawed in regard to the pedophilia taboo. I doubt it, and I don't think that they should. But for the purposes of movies, it's always interesting to see the envelope pushed.

The reality is that pedophilia is unacceptable in our country and the majority of the world so it makes sense that an audience would shrink from an otherwise acceptable character, even today. There are lots of taboos in the world (a LOT of them in the US), many of which don't come from a practical standpoint as much as a societal pressure (not wanting to eat the innards of animals, distant relative incest, the Euro-style cheek kissing that men will do, etc). Hell...even cannibalism of a dead human doesn't have much wrong with it from a practical standpoint. But pedophilia is a taboo from a very practical standpoint in that it is very traumatic for children even before they know that that what's going on is considered unacceptable in the eyes of adults. I also don't think that the large majority of human beings are instinctively attracted to pre-pubescent children anyways. As in...I don't think that this takes any hiding, because I think it largely doesn't exist as an attraction. As to whether men have an attraction to post-pubescent girls (15-17)...they do regardless of what anyone says.

Part of what made the book Lolita so great was that the relationship between the reader and the writer was very complex. As in...the guy was definitely molesting the young girl, but he was lying about it...to the reader...which is different to say the least. I love unreliable storytellers because it adds a wrinkle to the story that makes it both more realistic and more absurd at the same time.

I'm also fascinated by characters or hell...real people...that are just flat out fucked up and evil in ways that aren't acceptable. Any prolific serial killers and people who committed mass quantities of torture (Vlad the Impaler, Elizabeth Bathory) are of particular interest to me. I don't even consider my interest to be sick or taboo in that I want to replicate their actions...it's just interesting that somebody could think so differently from me. Much the same reason that abnormal psychology is interesting to me.

A character like Leon commits some horrible actions obviously, don't even need taboos to tell you that his professional life is objectively wrong. But his relationship with the girl showed a sensitive, very appealing side that even a flawed character could have. So is he fucked up...yes. But characters that murder are without a doubt, acceptable, and even appealing to audiences on a VERY mainstream level. If you think about it, murder's absolutely the worst thing you can do to someone. We accept and glamorize many, many murderers in movies...torturers...men that hit women, people that commit burglaries...etc, etc. People don't really think anything of it when they're watching it, like there's no mental connection between their real lives and what they're watching in a movie.

I'm just curious as to exactly how much a movie character could pull off and seem appealing and principled to an audience. Could they cannibalize living human beings, be a pedophile, a rapist, into coprophagia, bestiality, etc? And can these actions be hinted at as part of their past or can we actually see them happening and still accept the character?

 

[Chris]

Interesting post, I think sexual crimes like pedophilia and rape are where people draw the line. Those are heinous crimes no doubt, but it's interesting that people are okay with rooting for ruthless killers and torturers on screen, as you said. Personally, I think I am in the minority that I have an issue with a protagonist who crosses my own moral line; that includes murder and torture as well as rape and pedophilia. My mind is drawing a blank so I don't have examples, but I've seen movies and TV shows where the supposed "hero" or "heroes" commit vile acts and it just ruins it for me. I can't get into it. There is something to be said for fiction where you protagonist is of questionable character, and it works for me sometimes (I'm a huge fan of Jaime Lannister in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, and he's basically a protagonist at a certain point of that story, but his story involves one of redemption which I'm cool with) but it doesn't usually jive with me. I think it's why I tried getting into Sons of Anarchy a while back, and I don't even remember much about that series but the protagonists were all fuckers that I would rather just died, to be honest, than root for. Didn't sit with me.

I was going to make a point about how in America these days violence is way more acceptable than sexual things like rape/pedophilia and that might play a part into why there is that line in the sand regarding what criminal behavior a protagonist can engage in before losing a connection with the viewer/reader...but then it just sounds like I'm marginalizing absolutely horrific crimes like those. Which I'm not.

 

[The Oi]

My mind is drawing a blank so I don't have examples, but I've seen movies and TV shows where the supposed "hero" or "heroes" commit vile acts and it just ruins it for me.

Any time a character's actions are taken in pursuit of money or power, the audience is generally willing to make major exceptions as to the type of behavior they'll accept from a protagonist. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the movie. In fact, if done well, movies that all are able to manipulate an audience into caring about character's that commit terrible actions have done something truly amazing.

It's just a reflection of what the audience wants and relates to.

 

[Chris]

Any time a character's actions are taken in pursuit of money or power, the audience is generally willing to make major exceptions as to the type of behavior they'll accept from a protagonist. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the movie. In fact, if done well, movies that all are able to manipulate an audience into caring about character's that commit terrible actions have done something truly amazing.

It's just a reflection of what the audience wants and relates to.

Yep, as I said, on occassion it does "work" for me. I cited A Song of Ice and Fire and a few characters from there. I'm sure there are other stories that I can't think of where the characters have been of questionable ethical fortitude and I have followed along with them. I'd say 75% of the time, though, it doesn't work for me.

 

[JSS2306]

I think I had it in my Top 10 a few pages back...



Kinda funny I made special mention of Predator, because it's really such a great movie.

Anyone know that Jean Claude Van Dam was originally cast as the Predator and he ran around in a lobster suit?

[video=youtube;A1GfUoB0kog]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1GfUoB0kog[/video]



The behind the scenes take is awesome too. It was basically the equivalent of today's NFL locker room. A bunch of guys trying to out prove each other. Billy, the Indian guy, had to have a security guard around him at all times. Not to protect Billy, but to protect the production crew around Billy. :chuckles:

The whole thing is awesome, best "making of" I've ever seen. There's multiple parts.

[video=youtube;vW_ZCv_EbZg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW_ZCv_EbZg[/video]

 

[Nicky]

I heard Van Damme kept falling down in the suit. His goal was to get fired so he could do another movie. (Not sure which movie), but that's the story he told for years.

 

[Cashius X]

IP Man, IP Man 2, and IP Man 3. All very good movies. Wish they made more

Like these were probably the best KungFu movies I've ever seen. Engaging and interesting plot and great fighting.

 

[gourimoko]

Saw Amazing Spider-Man 2 last night. Loved it. I didn't think they'd have the guts to do what they needed to do, but they did it to perfection. Electro was an awesome villain, and they set things up really well for the next installment.