LoathedVermin72 wrote:
Like I said, there are exceptions. Every once in a while, a movie like this surprises me (Birdman). But I would be fucking shocked if this one did. And it's just not worth the effort of subjecting myself to this stuff anymore. Who has the time?
It's a shame because I very much enjoy reading the posts where you go all-out on a movie, even when it's one I really loved.
For me, I very rarely hate a movie so completely that I can't bear to make it through it; usually I'll be able to latch on to something that I enjoy (something like the score, the art direction, a performance, sometimes even a specific character) that it'll be enough to pull me through even the most tedious nothings. There are some things I've hated on a visceral level, yeah, but at the end of the day, I'm still sitting on a comfortable chair watching a movie. That's one of my favorite things to do.
I'm the same, really. Very rare that I just viscerally hate something. Zoolander 2 (as a recent example) was stupid. But I didn't have a hard time getting through the entire thing. And I did laugh from time to time. It isn't difficult to find value in movies.
And I realize this seems to run contrary to what I said earlier about avoiding horror because I haven't regularly gotten much out of the genre. Either I'm Whitman and contain multitudes, or those ideas are totally compatible and the rest of you to understand how.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
That's a common narrative, Mr. Zanda. I'm afraid I happen to disagree. I have really enjoyed every movie I've seen this year, save for two. And even those two were just meh and gave me a lot to talk/think about. This has been a fantastic year for film as far as I'm concerned. But, then, as I said, I'm in the minority. History will remember 2016 as a dud.
LoathedVermin72 wrote:Considering how much I love movies, this might sound kind of odd, but I generally dislike the process of watching a movie for the first time. I like having SEEN the movie. I like thinking about it afterward. I like rewatching movies I enjoy. It's pretty rare that I get really into the act of watching a movie the first time around.
This reminds me of that old quote (I'm not sure who actually said it; the internet has attributed it to way too many different people) that goes, "I don't like to write, I like to have written."
I don't think that's an uncommon impulse and I understand where you're coming from. As in most things we discuss on these hallowed forums, I'm probably the opposite. I enjoy the experience of watching a movie for the first time so much that I started to get out of critical analysis and fell back on sheer entertainment. I did this for a very long time. It's only now, this past year, 2016, allegedly the worst year in movies in however long if you listen to everybody on the internet, that I've started LOVING the analytics of film making and criticism again.
You're a part of that. McP is certainly a part of that. Alamo Draft House is a part of that, too. Regardless... I get what you mean, but I hope it doesn't stop you from wanting to engage critically here on RM. Because that's something I really value. It would be a shame to lose that.
Well thanks, I appreciate that. To be honest, I think, for the most part, I stopped engaging critically on RM a long time ago.
And for what it's worth, I thought 2016 was a very good year for movies. That said, it was the first year where I began actively avoiding hyped movies I thought looked shitty, so there may be some connection there...
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
LoathedVermin72 wrote:Considering how much I love movies, this might sound kind of odd, but I generally dislike the process of watching a movie for the first time. I like having SEEN the movie. I like thinking about it afterward. I like rewatching movies I enjoy. It's pretty rare that I get really into the act of watching a movie the first time around.
This reminds me of that old quote (I'm not sure who actually said it; the internet has attributed it to way too many different people) that goes, "I don't like to write, I like to have written."
I don't think that's an uncommon impulse and I understand where you're coming from. As in most things we discuss on these hallowed forums, I'm probably the opposite. I enjoy the experience of watching a movie for the first time so much that I started to get out of critical analysis and fell back on sheer entertainment. I did this for a very long time. It's only now, this past year, 2016, allegedly the worst year in movies in however long if you listen to everybody on the internet, that I've started LOVING the analytics of film making and criticism again.
You're a part of that. McP is certainly a part of that. Alamo Draft House is a part of that, too. Regardless... I get what you mean, but I hope it doesn't stop you from wanting to engage critically here on RM. Because that's something I really value. It would be a shame to lose that.
Well thanks, I appreciate that. To be honest, I think, for the most part, I stopped engaging critically on RM a long time ago.
And for what it's worth, I thought 2016 was a very good year for movies. That said, it was the first year where I began actively avoiding hyped movies I thought looked shitty, so there may be some connection there...
That's a good point. I definitely took few risks at the movies this year. I basically only went to see things I expected to like and avoided things I wasn't so sure about or that went against what I typically like. So, there's probably something to that.
Manchester by the sea.
That was really great.l and not what I expected. Exceptional performance by Casey affleck.
Some strange choices at a few moments in the narrative but they make sense by the end.
The kid was near perfect too.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
dimejinky99 wrote:Manchester by the sea.
That was really great.l and not what I expected. Exceptional performance by Casey affleck.
Some strange choices at a few moments in the narrative but they make sense by the end.
The kid was near perfect too.
My only problem with the kid is that he's almost ripped out of another era. I posted this earlier, but I am from that town (Manchester is next to my hometown of Gloucester, and much of the footage is from Gloucester). Most kids his age and economic background in that area have adopted the style and articulation of so-called "wiggers." Which is not to say that kid doesn't exist in Manchester, but he would be a rare breed these days.
That's interesting.
Put the wigger kid In This story and it's a totally different film. It would be confrontation with him and lee the entire film. Which would miss the point.
The kid was perfect almost in that he was processing his grief exactly as a teen would. Meaning taking advantage of it to get his way whenever he possibly could. With girls his peers and his uncle. And given lees own troubles he deals with it admirably.
I thought they nailed it. But it can take you out of a movie if you know something about it how it really should be as in your case
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
LoathedVermin72 wrote:
Like I said, there are exceptions. Every once in a while, a movie like this surprises me (Birdman). But I would be fucking shocked if this one did. And it's just not worth the effort of subjecting myself to this stuff anymore. Who has the time?
It's a shame because I very much enjoy reading the posts where you go all-out on a movie, even when it's one I really loved.
For me, I very rarely hate a movie so completely that I can't bear to make it through it; usually I'll be able to latch on to something that I enjoy (something like the score, the art direction, a performance, sometimes even a specific character) that it'll be enough to pull me through even the most tedious nothings. There are some things I've hated on a visceral level, yeah, but at the end of the day, I'm still sitting on a comfortable chair watching a movie. That's one of my favorite things to do.
One word, tell me if you've seen it: Joy. Holy shit. Probably the only thing about that movie that was good was the fact it was shot well. And even that was lessened by how terrible everything else was.
The Impossible came up in my Netflix recommendations so I started watching it. That's a very young Tom Holland, holy cow. Also:
The film received positive reviews from critics for its direction and its acting, especially for Watts who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
I've never heard of this movie, let alone seen a single trailer for it. Hell, when I saw the description on Netflix I thought it was one of those foreign films (it is) that movie stars do that you only see on Blockbuster walls.
It sure does appear that way. We open with five minutes about who left the house last and therefore who did or didn't lock the door/set the alarm. WTF.
Another weird, great movie from Ti West. I think he is my favorite director from this last years...Pretty much everything he did is from good to great.
I really enjoyed this revenge western with Hawke and Travolta. Fun.
