Seen any good films lately? [3]

Just watched "The Theory of Everything". Well that blew my sails away. Very touching film, sad but amazing, Stephen Hawkins life is astonishing ! I feel staggered by it & in awe of the man & what he went thru. Such strong dogged determination to survive no matter what the odds.

Spoiler:

I think I need something funny to cheer myself up

Wolf Hall is really good.

I watched Boyhood. It took twelve years to make.

that's mind boggling

bungobaggins wrote:I watched Boyhood. It took twelve years to make.

It occurred to be today that nearly everything Boyhood has been praised for in terms of its long pre-planned production and watching actors age naturally was done first by Harry Potter.

Richard Linklater is a genius. Never before have I ever seen someone grow up on screen. Except for maybe every live-action sitcom, the HP movies, and Ron Howard.

Boyhood

Never before have such mundane situations been portrayed by even more mundane actors. Witness, as a Hayden Christensen look-alike bores you to tears as he acts apathetic towards pretty much everything going on around him.

Boyhood

Marvel, at the wasted talents of Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke (who are the only good things about this movie).

Boyhood

Wonder, as a child meanders through the first stages of his life while no personal events greatly effect him in any way, providing absolutely no character development for the protagonist.

Boyhood: It took twelve years to make.

Oh my god, there's even this scene where the kids are running around putting Obama/Biden signs in people's yards during the 2008 election (the film takes place in Texas), and the sister is talking to this woman who's all ga-ga over Obama (fantasizing about kissing him and dreaming about him, etc.) and it just reminded me of Russel T Davies and Doctor Who and how disappointing Obama's presidency turned out to be, and the fact that he was not properly vetted by the American people.

The American people voted against Bush in 2000, but for him after Iraq. We deserve whatever we get.

Bunch of sadomasochists.

I think the reason people are disappointed in Obama is because he's very pragmatic. America's still powerful enough it can afford a non-pragmatist for foreign policy. As far as domestic policy goes, the headwind against any president has been growing stronger for a couple decades. It wasn't as noticeable with Bush because he wanted to be a do-nothing president at home.

Well part of the problem is that a lot of people deluded themselves into believing that Obama was a left-leaning candidate when in reality he was decidedly centrist.  I remember my mom going on about how his opposition to same-sex marriage was just a strategic lie that he had to tell in order to get elected.  I'm glad he eventually changed his tune on that, but he's not really a social liberal except by comparison to the hard edge of the GOP.  But I suppose I can't complain too much considering our previous President was talking about an anti-gay constitutional amendment.

Obama's economic policies are also only left leaning by the standards of the last 10 years; even during the Clinton years he would have been a Republican on some issues, but that's mainly because of the overall drift to the right.  If there is one area where I have no reservations about calling him a disappointment, though, it's foreign policy and human rights.  Obama is vastly more competent than Bush, but has just as little disregard for legality and morality when it comes to anything under the heading of "national security".

I watched The Giver yesterday. Perhaps it was just the trouble I've been going through lately, but I actually liked a lot of it. The uplifting part of the themes at least were a really nice change from just feeling crappy all the time.
But then it got pretty low critic reviews so maybe I would have disliked it more if I had read the book.

Eldorion wrote:Well part of the problem is that a lot of people deluded themselves into believing that Obama was a left-leaning candidate when in reality he was decidedly centrist.  I remember my mom going on about how his opposition to same-sex marriage was just a strategic lie that he had to tell in order to get elected.  I'm glad he eventually changed his tune on that, but he's not really a social liberal except by comparison to the hard edge of the GOP.  But I suppose I can't complain too much considering our previous President was talking about an anti-gay constitutional amendment.

Obama's economic policies are also only left leaning by the standards of the last 10 years; even during the Clinton years he would have been a Republican on some issues, but that's mainly because of the overall drift to the right.  If there is one area where I have no reservations about calling him a disappointment, though, it's foreign policy and human rights.  Obama is vastly more competent than Bush, but has just as little disregard for legality and morality when it comes to anything under the heading of "national security".

It's incredible how right-leaning you have to be in this country to get elected, and then to stay in office. The American left needs to grow a spine.

halfwise wrote:I think the reason people are disappointed in Obama is because he's very pragmatic.

I'd like to question the generality of  that assumption Halfy.  Granted there were high expectations for Obama that led to inevitable disappointment among the idealist left (just as there was disappointment with Reagan among the idealist right), but like the good centrist that Obama is (as Reagan and Clinton were) he's been carefully walking the popularity line throughout his presidency, watching the polling as he goes, and doing a pretty good job of it all things considered.  

Gallop has data comparing popularity past presidents throughout their terms. In the last 50 years there have only been 4 US presidents who've made it this far into their 2nd  term.  We're now sitting at about day 2196. At this point in each presidency the ratings go:

Clinton    69%
Obama    49%
Reagan   43%
Bush       32%

Those aren't bad numbers.  Makes me think that for everybody who's disappointed in him there's somebody else who's relieved.

The fact that he's almost exactly at 50% demonstrates what a centrist he is.

Or maybe it's the economy - if it was better he'd at be in the 60's. It's rather unfair how much credit/blame presidents get for the economy. Not sure how the true influence can be measured.

Bloody politicals in the good film thread!

Sorry Forest. All the 2016 speculating as the campaign kicks into gear has put politics on the mind.

Forest Shepherd wrote:Bloody politicals in the good film thread!  

And pretending american politics have a left and a centre at that.

Forest Shepherd wrote:Bloody politicals in the good film thread!  

whats the Giver about? I am sure I was going to watch it but I never did. I am thinking of watching Mr Turner tomorrow, nothing like a good old fashioned genius gumpy bugger to lift the spirits.

Not sure if it's been mentioned or not but American Sniper , best movie of its kind I have seen in a very long time. And considering the film is based on this guy's real life. Truly great film. 2 thumbs WAY UP!!!

No hint of controversy for you then Sin? No feeling it was propaganda,or that the portrayal of the Iraq people was racist and one dimensional?

(I havent seen it yet, just some of the stuff thats its been accused of Ive read about)

I read some things about Chris Kyle that have made me feel apprehensive about seeing this movie, especially paying to see it.

http://www.tessgerritsen.com/gravity-lawsuit-affects-every-writer-sells-hollywood/

Ooh-er thats not good.
I watched "Flash of Genius" the other day, its about Robert Kearns & his windscreen wiper invention & how FORD screwed him over. I dunno, some people are money mad & relentless.

da fuq

That's a special level of scummy, assuming it did indeed play out as described.