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Challengers is a good and original movie.  Imagine a 2024 rom com, except the behavior and conventions actually are taken from 2024, and with no apologies.  The woman says the word “****ing” a lot, and no one treats this as inappropriate or unusual.  There is bisexuality and poly.  Society is feminized.  Of course opinions will […] The post Culture splat (a few broad spoilers)...

I saw the film as having very definite politics, and yes I am aware of the pronouncements of the director — ignore them!  I am writing about the movie, what was on the screen. The seceding states — California, Texas, and Florida — all have substantial Latino population segments.  The core political message is that […] The post The politics of *Civil War* (full...

https://www.youtube.com/@abandonedfilms For a sampler, try The Hobbit: Via the apparently excellent Bruce Cleaver. The post It’s happening, anachronistic imaginary movie preview edition appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to rsm. Good point. by EdRTechnically, very impressive. Artistically, physics are ... by aaronIn reply to rsm. Because its inflationary. See Covid bucks ... by HarunIn reply to Awake. But at what cost.. It...

This movie was more cinematically serious than I was expecting, and with some odd (but mostly good) 1970s vibes.  It is also an interesting case study in anhedonia. Video and grenades seem scarcer than they ought to be, even given the constraints.  Good characters. The movie works very hard not to reveal its politics to […] The post *Civil War* appeared first on Marginal...

3 Body Problem (Netflix): Great! A captivating mix of big ideas, a compelling mystery, and spectacular set-pieces like the Cultural Revolution, strange worlds, the ship cutting and more. Of course, there are some weaknesses. 3 Body Problem falters in its portrayal of genius, rendering the British scientists as too normal, overlooking the obsessiveness, ambition, and […] The post What to Watch appeared first on...

OpenAI released a Music Video with Sorait's puzzling i dont think ive ever seen anything quite like this before pic.twitter.com/8OzUVuQmFL — nano (@nanulled) April 2, 2024 The post It’s happening, music and video edition appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsI don’t know what this was, but I watched it all the way ... by DavidBThey should unrelease it by OutHereIn reply to Hazel...

1.” In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon,” a two-part special on MGM+.  It’s time to admit that either he or Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter in American history.  At four hours I was never bored, and there is plenty of coverage of Simon today, and also his wife.  My main gripe is […] The post What I’ve been watching appeared first...

Pacific Heights is a 1990 movie starring Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, and Matthew Modine. Conventionally described as a “psychological thriller,” or a horror movie it’s actually a Kafkaesque analysis of tenancy rights and the legal system. The movie centers on a young couple, Drake and Patty, who purchase a San Francisco Victorian with dreams of […] The post Pacific Heights: A Movie Ahead of...

Here is one bit from a longer and very interesting essay by Vicky Osterweil: This kind of audience-condescending premise-forward literalism is not just in the narrative and scripting, it’s in the acting. The actors of Dune 2 almost all speak in that tedious whisper-growl that stands in for profundity, a vocal-style also popularized by Nolan, in Christian […] The post What is wrong with movies these...

From the get go it is far too self-consciously portentous, with nary a bit of humor to lighten it up.  It feels more like an adaptation of memes from gaming than a cinematic version of a novel, much less a living, breathing movie.  And exactly what is the moral stance we are supposed to hold […] The post *Dune 2* appeared first on Marginal...

That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one excerpt: The more clear and present danger to Hollywood is that would-be viewers might start making their own short videos rather than watching television. “Show my pet dog Fido flying to Mars and building a space colony there” is perhaps more fun than […] The post The commercial impact of Sora appeared...

Paul Wall asks about my Casablanca comment: “ I rewatched Casablanca lately on a large screen, and concluded that Rick was wanting Ilsa to suffer as much as possible.” Please explain When Rick won’t give Laszlo the letters of transit, and Laszlo asks him why, Rick says “I suggest your ask your wife.”  In essence […] The post My view of *Casablanca* (with spoilers,...

What is a good book or film that charts the trajectory of a profoundly healthy and transformational relationship? Twitter link here.  Well people?  Popular romances don’t count, try to get as close to “the canon” as you can. I found this question difficult.  GPT-4 listed a bunch of inappropriate, not actually so wholesome answers from […] The post Henrik Karlsson asks appeared first on...

Here is the audio, visual, and transcript.  Here is the episode summary: Ami Vitale is a renowned National Geographic photographer and documentarian with a deep commitment to wildlife conservation and environmental education. Her work, spanning over a hundred countries, includes spending a decade as a conflict photographer in places like Kosovo, Gaza, and Kashmir. She […] The post My Conversation with the excellent Ami...

Here is the audio, video, and transcript, here is the episode summary: Rebecca F. Kuang just might change the way you think about fantasy and science fiction. Known for her best-selling books Babel and The Poppy War trilogy, Kuang combines a unique blend of historical richness and imaginative storytelling. At just 27, she’s already published five novels, and her […] The post My Conversation with Rebecca F. Kuang...

There is: Poor Things The Delinquents [Los Delincuentes], from Argentina, tragicomedy. The Teacher’s Lounge All of Us Strangers Anselm 3-D The Zone of Interest Of course many of those came out in their respective foreign markets before 2024, but that is not the point.  Rather it seems cinema has turned a corner and is vital […] The post 2024 is already an incredible year...

I enjoyed watching this somewhat controversial production.  In terms of quality, think of it as comparable to a very good made-for-TV movie. The political message, that we don’t worry enough about sex trafficking of minors is I think mostly correct, though I would not buy most of the baggage that in today’s world so often […] The post *Sound of Freedom* appeared first on...

Poor Things created a visual and stylistic and historical world all of its own.  Not a perfect movie by any means, but entrancing throughout.  I took the central idea to be why (different kinds of) men are attracted to autistic women, but I do understand no one else saw it that way. American Fiction I […] The post What I’ve been watching appeared first...