Thread of the Dead - The Bear and Badger

Skerret

g.man wrote:

Vera Lynn. 103. Good innings.

This deserves far more comment instead of waffing on about Willie Thorne (vale). One of THE figures of the last century (not Willie Thorne, Vera).

I've enjoyed Holm's work in everything I've seen of his. Particularly liked his turn in Brazil. What a cast btw.

poprock wrote:

Classic ‘that guy’.

Hardly, he was absolutely top flight classical acting stock, not a bit player in B movies. He got an Oscar nod for Chariots of Fire and can sit alongside Gielgud (well maybe not Gielgud), Guinness, McKellen et al. He won an Olivier as King Lear!

tbf I'm in a huff

Facewon

Should go on Sam Newman's pod and elt some steam off.

Skerret

faaaaaaarkenel

poprock

Skerret wrote:

he was absolutely top flight classical acting stock, not a bit player in B movies.

No argument from me, Holm was the real thing. Hollywood treated him as ‘generic British character actor for supporting roles’ though, especially as he got older.

nick_md

Joel Schumacher, 80.

Some big names in film this last week

nick_md

Falling Down lads

nick_md

(that's not how he went, before anyone makes that quip)

monkey

Lost Boys is the pick for me.

poprock

Lost Boys for me too. My favourite film growing up.

Plenty of other choice cuts in his filmography though. Falling Down, St Elmo’s Fire, Phone Booth and Flatliners …

Moot_Geeza

This probably isn't the time or place but I've never really got the fuss with Falling Down. It's a'ight with a few good bits.

cockbeard

haha, my big sister worked at a video rental store (yeah weird times) and so I had access to posters. As a child my bedroom wall had ET on one, and The Lost Boys on another (yeah weird times)

b0r1s

Moot_Geeza wrote:

This probably isn't the time or place but I've never really got the fuss with Falling Down. It's a'ight with a few good bits.

Was always uncomfortable for me as a film. Felt too much like right wing propaganda. White man giving it to the brown gangs and people who don’t speak the same. Think I watched it once on release.

St Elmo’s Fire and Lost Boys are classics.

nick_md

Moot_Geeza wrote:

This probably isn't the time or place but I've never really got the fuss with Falling Down. It's a'ight with a few good bits.

I love a good heatwave, hazy LA streets movie, and this is right up there. Robert Duvall is excellent, Rochel Ticotin is quality too. I can't outright tell you you're wrong because opinions and all that, but my head is wobbling for you.

nick_md

b0r1s wrote:

Moot_Geeza wrote:

This probably isn't the time or place but I've never really got the fuss with Falling Down. It's a'ight with a few good bits.

Was always uncomfortable for me as a film. Felt too much like right wing propaganda. White man giving it to the brown gangs and people who don’t speak the same. Think I watched it once on release.

I can have time for this appraisal. Could also point to the disgust the character has at the Neo Nazi, and Rachel Ticotin. I'd be interested in reading some Thoughtful Appraisal takes on it tbh, because yeah I can see that. It is peak-90s for me though and, guiltily if I must, I enjoy it a lot.

nick_md

I mean, D-fens is the protagonist, but he's also a bad guy, and doesn't it speak to the impotent rage felt by people in the rat race? Railing against those they see as the problem when really they aren't? I'm sure there are people who cheer him on when he's killing cholos (I hope that's not a racist slur) because they see it as white supremacy, but I think they miss the nuance (which is a problem films can face when portraying a flawed character). He attacks rich white dudes on a golf course, for e.g.

I'm sure there are other films that are appropriated by racists/extremists that are done so because subtlety is missed.

I'm typing this totally off the cuff btw and expected to be corrected

b0r1s

Yep definitely. I don’t recall the scenes you are citing as I watched it when it first came out but that is always the problem. Same convo re parodying racists. Some of the real racists think the joke is the racist language. It’s a tricky line to balance.

nick_md

b0r1s wrote:

Yep definitely. I don’t recall the scenes you are citing as I watched it when it first came out but that is always the problem. Same convo re parodying racists. Some of the real racists think the joke is the racist language. It’s a tricky line to balance.

Yeah it's a tricky line for sure, this came up with the Fawlty Towers stuff the other week; some probably think it's funny because the Major says some racist names, missing entirely that the joke is on the Major himself.

I'm not setting a hill to die on though and am open to reading on the film.

cockbeard

Doug Stanhope

nick_md

What...

cockbeard

Playing a character, that ends up attracting the very audience you were trying to mock, and then being very unsure how to straddle the divide

regmcfly

I have a real fondness for Schumacher's Batman films. They're so knowing and probably more comic-book than any other film maker's attempt. His canted angles and neon in Forever are torn straight out of the comics of the early 90s.

nick_md

cockbeard wrote:

Playing a character, that ends up attracting the very audience you were trying to mock, and then being very unsure how to straddle the divide

Ah right, I thought you were saying Doug was brown bread for a moment.

cockbeard

Oh jeez, no, I bloody hope not, I've not got him his own death pool for a start

edit: forgot what thread I was in really

LivDiv

regmcfly wrote:

I have a real fondness for Schumacher's Batman films. They're so knowing and probably more comic-book than any other film maker's attempt. His canted angles and neon in Forever are torn straight out of the comics of the early 90s.

Always this!
It's such a shit hill to die in but I will die defending his two Batman movies. Especially & Robin which benefits from being taken fully over the line into nonsense while Forever still had half a toe in respectable.

g.man

Aye, saddened by the death of Joel Schumacher. Along with the late Tony Scott, his cinematic style was a big influence on a period in my earlier life, and yes, his Batman films were indeed awesome. The Lost Boys was unquestionably one of the most iconic youth films of the 80s, but let's not forget, his 90s output contained Falling Down and 8mm, both of which are absolute belters.

rest in peace

g.man

davyK

nick_md wrote:

I mean, D-fens is the protagonist, but he's also a bad guy, and doesn't it speak to the impotent rage felt by people in the rat race? Railing against those they see as the problem when really they aren't? I'm sure there are people who cheer him on when he's killing cholos (I hope that's not a racist slur) because they see it as white supremacy, but I think they miss the nuance (which is a problem films can face when portraying a flawed character). He attacks rich white dudes on a golf course, for e.g. I'm sure there are other films that are appropriated by racists/extremists that are done so because subtlety is missed. I'm typing this totally off the cuff btw and expected to be corrected

I really liked Falling Down. You can be white and have rage. Whether you think that rage is justified or not is a matter for discussion but it's all relative.

8mm was so close to being truly great but it goes badly wrong in the last third.

Spoiler:

g.man

Aye, it's Nicolas Cage though.

davyK

Cage is superb in it. Joaquin Phoenix is there too. And James Galdofini. Top stuff.

g.man

Yup. It's a top tier cast.

monkey

Lost Boys came along at such the perfect time for me. I still love it.

The Batman stuff is piss. & Robin is the closest I’ve ever come to walking out on a film.

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